[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.

At times in its history many people have migrated to Ibb from areas of Yemen experiencing drought, to find work in farming.

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

[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.

The city is noted for its towering stone houses, with geometrical friezes and circular stained glass windows known as qamiriya.