Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Rehabilitation of the Old City
Architect: GTZ Technical Office
Client: Local Community
Completed: 2005
Site size: 81'000 m²
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Rehabilitation of the Old City Project BriefThe basic strategy of this development project is not one of historic conservation but of developing the economic, social and administrative base to ensure the vitality and continuity of the city within its new regional context. The programme has two main components: technical assistance and financial assistance, allowing owners and residents of the historic city to restore, upgrade and maintain their buildings. The other task of the project is the revitalisation of the local economy. To date, about 100 owners have already renovated their houses.
The ancient city of Shibam is one of three major urban centres in Wadi Hadhramaut. Due to its composition and stunning setting, Shibam was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1982-1984).© Anne DE HENNING
Mud-bricks buildings cluster in a walled mass that exudes the genius of Yemeni architecture.© Anne DE HENNING
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Shibam sits on a raised earth dais, often described by historians as the mound of an ancient city's rubble, and is surrounded by a city wall (sur).
© Anne DE HENNING
The city has four public squares as well as smaller plazas between the housing clusters.© Anne DE HENNING
By incorporating varied aspects of urban development into the conservation process, the project has enabled the community to make a direct link between heritage issues and improved economic conditions.© Anne DE HENNING
Rendering are usually made from mud mixed with local hay and straw. Alluvial mud is collected from the agricultural fields around the city after every few floods.© Anne DE HENNING
The production of the traditional cement known as ramad has proved difficult. Retired master builders were engaged to train the younger ones to reproduce the ramad process.© Anne DE HENNING
The average house has six storey and about 500 square metres of total surface., of which 225 square metres are useable, the remainder being formed of walls and residual spaces.© Anne DE HENNING
The main constraint on the preservation work is the physical difficulty of hauling building materials through the narrow streets of the city and up to the top of the houses.© Anne DE HENNING
The main body of the nineteenth-century al-Hara madrasa was destroyed some years ago and is slowly being reconstructed by the original patron family. However the original minaret still stands.© Anne DE HENNING
Around 20 metres high, the madrasa al-Hara minaret retains most of its historic ornament. An old master builder was engaged to train two apprentices to undertake the necessary structural stabilisation and renew its mud and lime renders.© Anne DE HENNING
There are five siqayah in and around Shibam. Each consists of a small reservoir topped by a small dome.© Anne DE HENNING
These historic fountains were built to provide drinking water to travellers.© Anne DE HENNING
Generally maintenance is limited to an annual lime-wash on the roofs, a mud and lime render on the roofs and terraces every 20 years, and a mud render on the exterior walls every 40 to 50 years, in addition to periodic repainting and plumbing repair.© Anne DE HENNING
For waterproofing the outer surfaces of the building, lime is applied in two layers plus a final wash.© Anne DE HENNING
Terraces placed at the upper levels compensated for the absence of open courtyards in the house.© Anne DE HENNING
All structural elements are reported to be made from the traditional 'Ilb (zisyphus spuina christi), a local hardwood.© Anne DE HENNING
In general several prototypes were developed for the various details to accommodate the diverse tradition of ornamentation: a typical Shibami house has different window types even within a single room.© Anne DE HENNING
Degraded zones and priority interventions.© AKTC
Restored buildings by ownership type.© AKTC
House A35, ground floor© AKTC
House A35, section© AKTC
House A35, ground floor© AKTC
House B51, elevation© AKTC
House B51, section© AKTC
Typical ornamentations© AKTC
Typical ornamentations© AKTC
2007 Award Recipients
Review and Selection Procedures
Press: Press Releases, Speeches, Podcasts
AKAA 2007 Resources
Other 2007 Cycle Recipients
Moulmein Rise Residential Building
Rehabilitation of the Walled City
Restoration of the Amiriya Complex
Royal Embassy of the Netherlands
University of Technology Petronas
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