Brief synthesisSituated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 m, the Old City of Sana'a is defined by an extraordinary density of rammed earth and burnt brick towers rising several stories above stone-built ground floors, strikingly decorated with geometric patterns of fired bricks and white gypsum. The houses in the old city are of relatively recent construction and have a traditional structure. Described by historians, geographers and scholars of the early Islamic and medieval eras, Sana'a is associated with the civilizations of the Bible and the Koran. Protection and management requirements (2011)The protection of the Old City of Sana'a is ensured by the Antiquities Law of 1997 as well as the Building Law of 2002. In its decision concerning inscription, the World Heritage Committee "recommended that an adequate buffer zone should be established around the old city."