The ancient city of the first skyscrapers, which was built in the desert (3 photos + 1 video)

This city is called the Manhattan of the desert, and it could disappear at any moment.





It is believed that the first skyscraper appeared in the USA. It did not survive: it was demolished in 1931 for the construction of a larger building.

The building, 42 meters high, had 10 floors. However, many centuries before this Chicago skyscraper, 7-story high-rise buildings appeared in Yemen, which could well be called the first skyscrapers.



This city is called Shibam, and it is located in the desert of Yemen. Today there are about 500 high-rise buildings, which are located close to each other. The houses are built on a small area, making the town resemble a labyrinth inside. Many of these high-rise buildings are connected by bridges, so residents can easily move from one building to another without going down to the ground. For its unusual appearance, Shibam is called the Manhattan of the desert.



Of course, not all the houses here are hundreds of years old: these buildings are made of mud brick and have been rebuilt many times. But still, ancient buildings remain here - this is a mosque of the 9th-10th centuries. So what made people living in Shibam build such tall houses, although there are kilometers of similar areas around where spacious one-story buildings could be built? How does the construction of such houses take place, and why can the city disappear at any moment?

The author of the video talks about all this.