Amid the ongoing war in Yemen, the cultural heritage sector has not been spared from aerial assaults and targeted attacks. The historic city of Kawkaban was severely affected, particularly on February 15, 2016, when large parts of the city were destroyed by coalition airstrikes. These strikes resulted in civilian casualties and extensive damage to historic infrastructure, including landmarks and manuscript libraries.

In urgent response to the need to protect Yemen’s scientific heritage (manuscripts), a project was launched to safeguard Zaydi libraries dating from the early 8th century to the mid-20th century. These libraries contain some of the oldest Qur’anic texts, as well as significant works in Arabic linguistics, astronomy, agriculture, history, medicine, engineering, and more—many of which remain undiscovered and are of inestimable value.