Barran Press - Shihab Al-Afeef
Climate change and its subsequent effects have wreaked havoc on historical sites and buildings in Yemen. Unprecedented heavy rainfall, rising temperatures, and increased droughts have caused significant damage to the country's ancient structures.
Damages
These climate changes, which Yemen has never experienced before, have severely affected its historical architecture, some of which dates back centuries. Recent years have seen heavy rains and floods causing complete or partial collapses of ancient buildings, forts, and castles, with cracks and water seepage damaging these structures.
Climate changes have compromised traditional building materials, leading to the collapse of numerous historical buildings and landmarks in Yemen.
Ramzi Al-Dumaini, director of the National Museum in Taiz, states, "Twenty years ago, we dealt with deteriorations in historical buildings due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Recently, climate changes have exacerbated these issues."
Al-Dumaini adds that the recent climatic shifts, including changes in rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and increased droughts, have significantly impacted Yemen's tangible cultural heritage.
Most Affected Heritage
The most affected heritage sites are those hit by recent heavy rains, which have significantly impacted historical buildings over a century old. Many of these fragile structures are made of mud, like the city of Shibam Hadramawt in eastern Yemen, or burnt brick, like Old Sana'a and Zabid in Al-Hudaydah, as well as similar buildings in Taiz, Al-Makha, and Al-Bayda.
According to Al-Dumaini, persistent heavy rains have caused water to seep into the walls, removing the bonding material made of mud and "zabor," leading to the disintegration and collapse of these walls.
"Zabor" is a traditional building technique using raw mud mixed with straw or animal waste, built without molds, shaped according to the building's design.
Many historical buildings have collapsed, particularly in Old Sana'a, Zabid, Al-Makha, and Tarim, mainly due to heavy rains.
Erosion Factors
Continuous rainfalls over periods ranging from a week to a month due to climatic changes have caused significant structural issues for these historical landmarks.
The National Museum gate in Taiz collapsed due to buildings above it falling from conflict damage, followed by environmental factors causing further collapse.
Historical and heritage buildings located far from city centers have also suffered from erosion, with weak management by archaeological authorities due to limited resources.
These factors have buried some ancient dams and led to invasive and random tree and weed growth on walls and historical buildings, causing roots to penetrate and crack these structures, ultimately leading to their collapse.
This issue has affected many historical landmarks, such as the Cairo Castle in Taiz and various forts across Yemen.
Climate changes have also negatively impacted archaeological sites and historical buildings in Al-Makha, where increased drought and desertification have buried many historical and heritage buildings. Rising humidity and salinity levels in walls have eroded stones.
Pests such as termites have also emerged due to environmental factors and high humidity, which have eroded wood and caused roof collapses, followed by rain leading to complete building collapses.
This has caused the collapse of historical commercial houses in Al-Makha, which were once symbols of Yemeni coffee heritage, as Al-Makha was the primary source of this coffee, considered part of Yemen's cultural heritage.
Impact on Historical Forts
Last year's rainy season, particularly in August and September 2024, saw severe damage to several historical forts, resulting in partial collapses and falling stones. Part of the Shammar Yahrash Fort (Rada'a Castle) in Rada'a District, Al-Bayda Governorate, collapsed.
Al-Dhaheri Fort in Al-Hudaydah Governorate also experienced partial collapses.
The General Authority of Antiquities in Sana'a documented damages to historical sites since the beginning of the rainy season this year, including parts of Zabid Castle and the historic guest house in Al-Mahwit city.
Additionally, parts of the historic wall of Thula city in Amran Governorate, north Yemen, collapsed, and several archaeological sites in various Yemeni governorates were damaged.
Government Appeals
In late August, the Yemeni government called on UNESCO to intervene in preserving and protecting archaeological areas damaged by heavy rains and floods that swept through several historical cities in the country.
According to Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani, field reports confirmed damage to the World Heritage-listed cities of Sana'a and Zabid due to heavy rains and floods.
He added, "There is an urgent need for immediate intervention to preserve and protect these damaged areas and restore them to ensure the preservation of this valuable human heritage for future generations."
Causes and Solutions
Dr. Abdulqader Al-Kharraz, Associate Professor of Environmental Impact Assessment at Al-Hudaydah University and international climate change consultant in Yemen, says historical cities and landmarks have been affected by climate changes and neglect. He cites examples like the city of Tarim in Hadramawt, despite a project to rehabilitate the historic city.
Al-Kharraz emphasizes the need to use climate finance provided to Yemen to prevent the collapse of historical cities and landmarks. He advocates for dedicating projects to restoring museums, ancient forts, and old mud houses.
He stresses that there is global funding available to address the impacts of climate change on historical landmarks, and these funds should be directed towards preserving these sites.
Al-Kharraz urges the government to take proactive measures, such as enforcing laws, presenting projects linked to environmental and historical preservation, and conducting continuous maintenance. He highlights the importance of implementing technical measures to preserve these landmarks and maintaining them regularly.
Recent floods in Yemen have partially or entirely destroyed, along with historical buildings, citizens' homes, agricultural lands, and vital infrastructure like health facilities, schools, water supply projects, and roads.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen, over 187,000 families in 20 governorates have been affected by heavy rains and floods in recent months. The UN described the damage as "severe," impacting over 1.3 million people across the country.