Twenty chapters authored by leading scholars from around the world explore the astonishing
variety of building styles and traditions that have evolved over millennia in a region of
diverse terrains extreme climates and distinctive local histories. Generations of
highly-skilled masons carpenters and craftspeople have deftly employed the materials-to-hand
and indigenous technologies to create urban architectural assemblages gardens and rural
landscapes that sit harmoniously within the natural contours and geological conditions of
southern Arabia. A sharp escalation in military action and violence in the country since the
1990s has had a devastating impact on the region's rich cultural heritage. In bringing together
the astute observations and reflections of an international and interdisciplinary group of
acclaimed scholars this book raises awareness of Yemen's long history of cultural creativity
and of the very urgent need for international collaboration to protect it and its people from
the destructive forces that have beset the region.
