abdullah al hadrami: thula fort restoration in yemen

‘thula fort restoration’ by abdullah al-hadrami, thula, yemenimage © cemal emden, courtesy of the aga khan development network

ancient lands are the homes of thousands of years of history sometimes preserved to various degrees, sometimes forgotten, sometimes destroyed. yemen is such a land, whose first millennium clay towers of the sabaean civilization are amongst the decaying treasures the country has to offer.when the thula fort was threatened by the construction of a new roadway, the thula community under the directorship of architect abdullah al-hadramicame together with help of the social fund for development to begin the restoration process in order to protect the priceless structures. part of theproject included the reconstruction of several troglodyte structures including burial ground and agricultural terrace walls, the bab al mayah gate, watch towers, paths, waterways, and the currently-active cistern. a complex network of trails switchback up the rocky cliffs, made from excavations in the stone and dry-stacked masonry barriers. using only the local material removed from carving into the mountainside, all man-made structures are perfectly integrated ecologically and aesthetically into their natural context. the restoration continued the tradition to make the spaces habitable andrestore a valuable piece of history to its people, using only the necessary contemporary building methods needed to secure the durability of the buildings. efforts also led to the discovery of previously hidden artifacts as well, uncovering an archaeological site complete with gates and walls that may offer a more detailed picture of the ancient local civilization.

the philanthropic and architectural success of the project achieved a spot on the shortlist for the famed aga khan award for architecture.

video courtesy of the aga khan development network

aerial view of part of the site showing restored wallsimage © cemal emden, courtesy of the aga khan development network

series of restored towersimage © cemal emden, courtesy of the aga khan development network

(left) trails leading up to the higher structures, carved into the mountainside(right) original cisternimage © cemal emden, courtesy of the aga khan development network

restored cisternimage © cemal emden, courtesy of the aga khan development network

image © cemal emden, courtesy of the aga khan development network

bird’s eye viewimage courtesy of the aga khan development network

inside the cistern reveals the sense of scaleimage courtesy of the aga khan development network

entrance through the fortress wallsimage courtesy of the aga khan development network

image courtesy of the aga khan development network

site form a distanceimage courtesy of the aga khan development network