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| A picture taken on February 24, 2018 shows a view of a mosque and city walls of the ancient site of Zabid, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ABDO HYDER / AFP. |
ZABID (AFP).- Once Yemen's capital and famed as an architectural marvel of early Islam, the town of Zabid is fighting to survive as a brutal war closes in on its fortified walls. The sand-coloured town overlooking the country's west coast was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 for its centuries-old urban planning and architecture, including the world's fifth oldest mosque. Riven by neglect and poverty, it was placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage in Danger seven years later. Yemen's three-year war, which has killed nearly 10,000 people and pushed the country to the brink of famine, is now threatening the fate of Zabid. So far the town has been spared in the battle between Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels and a government allied with a military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia. [
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