Officials called for urgent action after the historic mud-skyscraper city of Shibam in southern Yemen was damaged by torrential rains last week.
Dating back as far as the 16th Century, the Unesco-listed town of tightly packed mud buildings dates back as far as the third centry.
The town was hit with flooding and torrential rain on May 4 and then again last Monday, causing damage to dozens of towers, Hasan Eidid, Shibam branch manager of the General Organisation for the Preservation of Historic Cities in Yemen, told The National.
“This happens while the residents of the city are at a very critical time due to the worsening situation caused by the war,” Mr Eidid said.
“The majority of the buildings partially damaged by the recent torrential rain are those located in the southern facade of the historic city. Additionally, the heavy rains caused damage to the roofs of some buildings in the city, causing water leakage into the rooms.”
There is also concern for the foundations on the southern and northern sides of the town, home to about 7,000 people.
“In addition to the new threats caused by the torrential rain, Shibam city tops the list of World Heritage sites under threat from explosions and clashes between Al Qaeda and the army since 2015,” Mr Eidid said.
He said the city is in urgent need of international help to save the Unesco World Heritage site often referred to as the "Manhattan of the Desert" and believed to be the oldest settlement in the world to use such high-rise construction.
“We need emergency funds and urgent intervention to save the buildings with significant damage before they crumble. Moreover, we need Unesco, the EU and the other funding bodies in charge to help to reconstruct the walls of the city soon and reconstruct the deteriorated infrastructure of the city,” Mr Eidid said.
Hussein Al Aidrous, manager of Yemen's General Authority of Antiques and Museums, said the city was under increased risk of damage due to climate change.
"Shibam is an ancient historic city built from mud which means the climate change will cause a direct threat to its high skyscrapers," he said, explaining that hours of torrential rain will cause more damage.
Much of Yemen has been inundated with rain in recent days, with 13 people killed in flooding in the Red Sea city of Hodeidah.
“More than 40 residences – mostly cottages made of straw – were flooded by the rainstorm in Al Zuhra and Al Qanawis [northeast of Hodeidah] killing 10 people and dozens of cattle,” a resident from Al Zuhra said.
Residents are unlikely to have any respite as Yemen’s Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority said on Saturday night that rain would continue in coastal areas until the end of the week.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
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Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
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Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
'Nope'
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RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
