Zabid

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zabid (Arabic: زبيد‎) (also spelled Zebid) is a town in western Yemen. The town, named after Wadi Zabid the wadi to its south, is one of the oldest towns in Yemen, it was the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century and a center of the Arab and Muslim world due in large part to its famed University of Zabid and being a center of Islamic education. It was the capital of the Ziyadid dynasty from 819–1018 and the Najahid dynasty from 1022–1158.<ref>"Najahid Dynasty." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 14 Apr. 2006 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9054701>.</ref>

Zabid has been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Its Great Mosque occupies a prominent place in the town. The vestiges of its university can also be visited. It has an estimated population of 8000 inhabitants.

In 2000, Zabid was listed on the List of World Heritage in Danger; the listing was made on the behest of the Yemeni government due to a state of poor upkeep and very poor conservation.