Shibam(often referred to asShibam Hadhramaut) is a town inYemen.It is famous for its mudbrick-madehigh-rise buildings. Shibam, which is now aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, owes its fame to its distinct architecture.Often called "the oldestskyscrapercity in the world" or "the Manhattan of the desert", Shibam is one of the oldest and best examples ofurban planningbased on the principle of vertical construction.The city has some of the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them over 30 meters(100feet) high, thus being earlyhigh-riseapartment buildings.
The nearby town ofTarimcontains the tallest structure in theWadi Hadhramautvalley, the mudbrickminaretof the Al-Mihdhar mosque. It stands at a height of approximately 53 meters (175 feet.)This is the tallest minaret in the southern Arabian peninsula.