Zabid (IX sec.): la città dotta dello Yemen, capitale e università
Nella pianura costiera dello Yemen, Zabid fu per secoli capitale e uno dei grandi centri del sapere del mondo islamico: la sua università e le sue scuole attiravano studiosi da tutta l’Arabia. Una città di mattoni e calce, di moschee e case decorate, che custodisce mille anni di storia araba.
At a glance
Zabid, on the coastal plain of Yemen, was for centuries the capital of the country and one of the great centres of learning in the Islamic world, its university and many schools drawing scholars from across the Arab world; the science of algebra was among the disciplines taught here. A town of brick and lime houses, mosques and madrasas, it preserves a domestic and religious architecture of exceptional historic and artistic interest. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 1993.
Key facts
- UNESCO: World Heritage since 1993 (Historic Town of Zabid)
- Capital: capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century
- Centre of learning: a renowned Islamic university and many schools
- Algebra: among the sciences taught here in the Middle Ages
- Architecture: brick and lime houses, mosques and madrasas
- Great Mosque: the Asha’ir Mosque, among the oldest in Yemen
History
Zabid was founded in the 9th century and rose to become the capital of Yemen and a beacon of scholarship, its colleges and library famous throughout the Islamic world; students came from afar to study religion, law and the sciences, and the town is associated with advances in mathematics. Successive dynasties enriched it with mosques and madrasas.
After the capital moved elsewhere, Zabid declined but kept its historic fabric of decorated brick houses and religious buildings. In recent times neglect, modern construction and conflict have threatened the town, which has been listed as World Heritage in Danger, but it remains a precious record of medieval Arab urban civilisation.
What you see
The town is a maze of narrow lanes between houses of brick and white lime, their facades worked in geometric brick patterns and carved plaster, opening onto inner courtyards. Mosques and madrasas, including the historic Asha’ir and Great Mosques with their minarets, punctuate the town.
The whitewashed buildings against the coastal plain give Zabid its distinctive character.
Practical information
- Town: a living historic town on the Tihama plain
- Time needed: 1–2 hours
- Note: listed as World Heritage in Danger; check travel advice for Yemen
- Setting: on the Red Sea coastal plain of western Yemen
Getting there
Zabid is on the Tihama coastal plain of western Yemen, inland from the Red Sea between Al Hudaydah and Taiz. Access depends on the security situation. GPS: 14.195° N, 43.315° E.
Nearby
- Al Hudaydah — the Red Sea port to the north
- Tihama plain — the coastal lowland with its African-influenced villages
- Bayt al-Faqih — a historic market town nearby
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — “Historic Town of Zabid” (ref. 611)
- General Organisation for the Preservation of Historic Cities in Yemen — official body
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Zabid
Find it on the map
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