Ancient city of Shabwa

Ancient city of Shabwa is an archaeological site located in Shabwah Governorate, southern Yemen, at the western edge of Wādī Ḥaḍramawt. It was founded in the early 1st millennium BC (around the 10th century BC) and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hadramawt. Owing to its strategic position at the crossroads of major caravan routes connecting inland Arabia with the port of Qanāʾ on the Arabian Sea, Shabwa emerged as a major political, religious, and economic center, particularly associated with the control of the frankincense trade. The city was protected by surrounding hills and fortified structures and supported by an advanced hydraulic system of canals, wells, and irrigated fields, reflecting a high level of urban planning and long-term settlement.

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