Ibb

For other uses, see IBB (disambiguation).

Ibb (Arabic: إِبّ, romanized: ʾIbb) is a city in Yemen, the capital of Ibb Governorate, located about 117 km (73 mi) northeast of Mocha and 194 km (121 mi) south of Sana'a.^[3] A market town and administrative centre developed during the Ottoman Empire, it is one of the most important medium-sized cities in the country.^[4] It is situated on a mountain ridge, surrounded by fertile land. As of 2023, it has an estimated population of 771,500 residents. Other names for Ibb, is "The Land of Green"^{[citation needed]}

Ibb إِبّ
City
Ibb Location in Yemen
Coordinates: 13°58′N 44°10′E
Country	Yemen
Governorate	Ibb Governorate
District	Ibb
Population  (2005)[1]
• Total	221,472
• Estimate  (2023)[2]	771,514
Time zone	UTC+3 (Yemen Standard Time)

History

Local men

Ibb has been occupied since ancient times, and due to its strategic importance, the Ottomans used it as an administrative center.^[3] It thrived as a market town and the Ottomans established the Wednesday market in Ibb.^[5] 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 experiencing drought, to find work in farming.^[6] In the mid-1950s there was reportedly an outbreak of smallpox in the city.^[7]

German explorer Hermann Burchardt photographed the city in 1901; these photos are now held at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin.^[8]

Climate

Ibb is located at an altitude of 2,050 metres (6,730 ft) on a spur of Mount Shamāḥī.^[9] Due to its high altitude, Ibb has a dry-winter humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cwa), and is one of the wettest areas of Yemen,^[3] typically receiving around 500 mm of rain per annum.

Climate data for Ibb (1,950 m (1.21 miles))
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	21.0 (69.8)	21.1 (70.0)	23.6 (74.5)	25.5 (77.9)	27.8 (82.0)	30.1 (86.2)	29.7 (85.5)	27.9 (82.2)	25.7 (78.3)	23.1 (73.6)	21.0 (69.8)	20.8 (69.4)	24.8 (76.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	14.5 (58.1)	15.2 (59.4)	17.0 (62.6)	19.1 (66.4)	21.7 (71.1)	23.5 (74.3)	24.3 (75.7)	23.2 (73.8)	20.6 (69.1)	17.1 (62.8)	14.9 (58.8)	14.5 (58.1)	18.8 (65.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	7.9 (46.2)	9.3 (48.7)	10.4 (50.7)	12.7 (54.9)	15.5 (59.9)	16.9 (62.4)	18.8 (65.8)	18.4 (65.1)	15.5 (59.9)	11.1 (52.0)	8.7 (47.7)	8.1 (46.6)	12.8 (55.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	5.8 (0.23)	4.6 (0.18)	12.9 (0.51)	16.0 (0.63)	10.2 (0.40)	48.8 (1.92)	150.0 (5.91)	144.6 (5.69)	74.2 (2.92)	32.5 (1.28)	14.1 (0.56)	5.3 (0.21)	519 (20.44)
Source: National Weather Service

Notable landmarks

Local architecture

The city is noted for its towering stone houses, with geometrical friezes and circular stained glass windows known as qamiriya.^[3] 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.^[10] Ibb University was established in 1996.^[3] The main football team is Al Sha'ab Ibb.

Notable people

• Owais al-Qarani, Muslim saint
• Abdul Rahman al-Iryani, former President of Yemen
• Abdul Karim al-Iryani, former Prime Minister of Yemen
• Abdul Aziz Al-Maqaleh, poet and writer
• Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, founder and head of Iman University

See also

• Aghrab Beni Awad
• Jibla
• As-Sahul Valley