Great Dam of Marib and Al-Qahira castle in Yemen damaged by Saudi airstrikes
Continued fighting in the region further threatens the country’s heritage sites.
Recent Saudi airstrikes have caused further damage to heritage sites across Yemen.
Among them is the eighth-century Great Dam of Marib, “one of the most important cultural heritage sites in Yemen and in the Arabian Peninsula”, according to Unesco director-general Irina Bokova. Images taken after the airstrike reveal that part of the
The Art Newspaper
June 12, 2015
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dam’s wall has collapsed, and ancient Sabaean inscriptions at the site may also have been affected. The tenth-century castle of Al-Qahira, built on a mountain at Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, has sustained damage on around 30% of the site, according to Unesco.
The southern city was reportedly taken over by rebels in March. The Dhamar Museum, which housed 12,500 artefacts from the local governorate, has also been destroyed. Other historic locations affected by the airstrikes include the old cities of Sana’ and Zabid, both named as World Heritage Sites by Unesco.
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