Ibb ( ar, إِبّ, ʾIbb) is a city in Yemen, the capital of Ibb Governorate, located about northeast of Mocha and south of Sana'a. A market town and administrative centre developed during the Ottoman Empire, it is one of the most important medium-sized cities in the country. It is situated on a mountain ridge, surrounded by fertile land. As of 2005, it had a population of 160,000.

History

Ibb has been occupied since ancient times, and due to its strategical importance, the Ottomans used it as an administrative centre. It thrived as a market town and the Ottomans established the Wednesday market in Ibb. Ibb was governed by a semi-autonomous emir until 1944, when the emirate was abolished. At times in its history many people have migrated to Ibb from areas of Yemen which had been experiencing drought, to find work in farming. In the mid 1950s there was reportedly an outbreak of smallpox in the city. German explorer, Hermann Burchardt, photographed the city in 1901, photos now held at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin.

Climate

Ibb is located at an altitude of on a spur of Mount Shamāḥī. Due to its high altitude, Ibb has a subtropical highland climate ( Köppen climate classification: ''Cwa''), and is one of the wettest areas of Yemen, typically receiving 800–1200 mm of rain per annum.

Notable landmarks

The city is noted for its towering stone houses, with geometrical friezes and circular stained glass windows known as '' qamiriya''. The main mosque was built during the Ottoman period, and there are other mosques and also a fortress in the vicinity, closed to visitors. An ancient overhead aqueduct still remains. Ibb University was established in 1996. Ibb also contains an art centre and museum and hotels such as Saba Tourist Hotel and Al-Riyad Hotel. The main

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team is Al Sha'ab Ibb.

Notable people

Owais al-Qarani Awais bin Bashir ( ar, أُوَيْس ٱبْن عَامِر ٱبْن جَزْء ٱبْن مَالِك ٱلْقَرَنِيّ, ), also spelled Uways or Owais, was a Muslim from Yemen who lived during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ...

, Muslim saint *

Abdul Rahman al-Iryani Abdul Rahman Yahya Al-Eryani ( ar, عبد الرحمن الإرياني, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Yaḥyā al-Iryānī; 10 June 1910 – 14 March 1998) was the President of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 5 November 1967 to 13 June 1974. Ori ...

- former President of Yemen * Abdul Karim al-Iryani - former Prime Minister of Yemen * Abdul Aziz Al-Maqaleh - poet and writer * Mutahar al-Iryani - prominent historian and poet * Zayd Mutee' Dammaj - Yemen's foremost novelist * Brian "The Lion" Mihtar - professional boxer *

Abdul Majeed al-Zindani Abdul Majeed al-Zindani (; born in 1942 in Ibb, Yemen) is a leading Islamist, founder and head of the Iman University in Yemen, head of the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood political movement and founder of the Commission on Scientific Signs in the Q ...

- founder and head of the Iman University. * Hamdan Dammag - novelist and computer scientist

References

External links