In November 2022, the Rehabilitation of the Market in the Old Walled City of Shibam was completed through generous funding from the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) and the supervision of ARC-WH. The project was implemented by the General Organisation for the Preservation of Historic Cities in Yemen (Branch of Shibam Hadhramaut) (GOPHCY-SHIBAM), with assistance from local Yemeni partners.  

Due to the ongoing political instability and armed conflict, the Old Walled City of Shibam has faced several pressures and significant threats that affected the historic structures including the old market of Shibam observed through the deterioration of its structures. The project aimed to rehabilitate the market and keep it from losing its essential function to maintain its commercial and economic movement.  

The rehabilitation was made In line with local building regulations, respecting traditional aesthetics, and removing all architectural and technical distortions in the market. The project included the rehabilitation of 14 closed shops, 10 open shops, the replacement of 12 iron doors with wooden doors at targeted shops, as well as the restoration of 30 dilapidated doors, fixing wooden sunshades for 12 of the old shops and the administrative, and technical and financial and documentational work implemented by the team. Thanks to the efforts of the local team, the Old Souq was revived, and furthermore, this project provided job opportunities for local community members of the city.  It also helped to improve the living and economic situation of the local community in Shibam.