In 2000, Zabid was listed on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
the listing was made on the behest of the Yemeni government due to a state of
poor upkeep and conservation. According to a UNESCO report, roughly "40%
of the city's houses have been replaced by concrete buildings, and other houses
and the ancient souk are in a deteriorating state. If the city has not begun
preservation of its cultural heritage within two years of its inscription as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, it faces possible loss of this vaunted status.
