Wadi Dawan Village

Hadhramaut, Yemen

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Coordinates: 15.506900, 48.343900

Nearby Places

• Al hajarayn, Old villages of Wadi Hadhramaut 1.96 Km S (199°)
• Shibam, city built on Mud 55.55 Km NE (34°)
• Al Kathiri Palace 67.77 Km NE (44°)

Wadi Dawan is a town and desert valley in central Yemen. Located in the Hadhramaut Governorate, it is noted for its mud-brick buildings.

Wadi Daw’an contain numerous towns and villages alongside the wadi banks and above the surrounding terraces and plateaus.

Daw’an Directorate comprises two wadis, identified as the left (laysar) and right (layman). To the north are the directorates of Huraydah and Wadi al’ Ayn; to the west al Dulay’ ah and ‘Amd; to the south Wadi Hajr; and to the east Ghayl Ba Wazir and Mukalla directorates.

Geography

Daw’an Directorate covers 3046 sq. Km and has a population of 43,306, according to the 2004 census; the capital is the city of Sif. The architectural heritage of Daw’an today outshines that of Wadi Hadhramaut, since its towns and villages have been much better preserved in the past two decades, during which speculation and cement construction have hit the region. For years many villages in Daw’an were inaccessible by car. Only after 2005 was the road across the left bank of the Wadi adequately constructed.

Haid al-Jazil

Haid al-Jazil is one of the villages in Daw’an District in Hadhramaut Governorate, which has a population of 17 according to the 2004 census. The mud-brick buildings of the town are built on a huge boulder overlooking the Wadi Dawan valley.

Wadi Daw’an in Yemen is one of the most attractive locations not to be on the World Heritage List. The landscape of the Wadi however, is changing rapidly, threatened by commercial contractors. Its coherent ecological structure and identity are being eroded. As a result, the integrity and sustainability of its settlements and landscape are already at risk. Natural resources, skills, and agricultural wealth are declining, with detrimental effects on the region’s economic and cultural heritage and future.

Source of Water

There are no permanent rivers or lakes in Yemen. The only water source for people living away from the coast comes in the form of season river valleys called wadis. Because of this, many people build villages such as Haid Al-Jazil above the valley to make the most of these temporary water sources.