In photos: Yemeni buildings in ancient village collapse

SANAA, Aug. 12 (YPA) – Dozens of houses have collapsed in an ancient village west of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, due to heavy rains in recent days.

According to the local sources, 57 of the 100 houses in the historic village of Bani Bashir in Hamedan district collapsed.

The Village is surrounded by a large wall of four to five meters high, with six towers in a circular of guarding, and there is only one entrance gate to the village.

The construction of this ancient village dates back to the Yu’firids state, which was taken from Shibam and Kukaban as its capital during the period 847-997 AD.

The village of Bani Bashir is one of the villages of Hamedan district, which is administratively located in Sanaa governorate, approximately 45 km from the capital.

Yemen Press Agency obtained dozens of photographs for this historic village before its houses collapsed due to the heavy rains.

A total of 111 historic houses were totally and partially destroyed in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed old city of Sana’a.

The sources warned of real dangers to more than 5,000 historic homes in Sana’a if the restoration of those houses continues to be neglected.

Sanaa and more than 13 Yemeni provinces are under siege imposed by the Saudi-led coalition forces six years ago. The blockade has exacerbated living conditions and increased poverty, in addition to the heavy rains that have caused major landslides in most historic cities.

E.M