Shibam Kawkaban

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Shibam Kawkaban is a double town in Al Mahwit Governorate, Yemen, about 38 km west-northwest of Sanaa. It consists of two adjacent towns: Shibam, at the edge of a large agricultural plain, and Kawkaban, on a mountain summit. Kawkaban means “two planets” in Arabic, and the combined name Shibam Kawkaban is often used to distinguish it from other places named Shibam.

The town sits on a steep hill with a fortress citadel about 2,931 meters above sea level, offering wide views of the surrounding countryside. It has been strategically important because of fertile farmland, a strong fortress, and its proximity to Sanaa. The Yuʿfirid dynasty (847–997) had its capital here, and later the town became a stronghold of the Alid Sharaf al-Din dynasty from the 1500s. A Jewish community lived in Shibam Kawkaban until the mid-20th century.

Shibam Kawkaban hosts several old mosques (Al Madrasa, Al Mansoor, Al Sharefa, Harabat), a central old market, and ancient rainwater reservoirs named Meseda, Alasdad, and Sedalhamam. Throughout history the town has been known by various names, including Shibam Yaḥbis, Shibam Ḥimyar, and Shibam Aqyan, and it is sometimes called Shibam Kawkaban to distinguish it from other Shibams.

German explorer Hermann Burchardt visited in 1902, noting the town had declined from its former size. The Jewish poet Zechariah Dhahiri lived there. By 1975, about 2,000 people lived in Shibam Kawkaban.

In February 2016, during Yemen’s civil war, airstrikes hit the town’s citadel, killing seven residents and destroying the historic gateway along with several 700-year-old houses.

Climate wise, Shibam Kawkaban has a cool semi-arid climate due to its very high elevation, around 3,000 meters. This causes large day-to-night temperature swings and brings more rain than Sanaa because of its exposed mountain location and rugged terrain.