Kaukaban (arab. كوكبان‎) is a small town (according to some sources, a village) in the northern part of Yemen.

The city is located in the Mahwit governorate, about 50 km northwest of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The city was built on the top of Jebel Kaukaban mountain, about 2800 meters (2605 meters in other sources) above sea level. At the foot of the Jebel Kaukeban plateau is the city of Shibam Kaukeban. From Shibam Kaukaban, you can walk along steps carved into the rocks to the village of Kaukaban, which stands at an altitude of 2750 m (not to be confused with Shibam in Hadhramaut Governorate).
Kaukaban is one of the significant historical places in Yemen, where the Shiite Zaidis lived and where the Yemeni kings rested and hid from persecution. Walking along the winding streets of Kaukabana, you can see ancient mosques, houses, fortress walls and gates..
At one time the city was famous for its music school. Today it is famous for its architecture and its ancient water tank, which is still in use today.

History
The first Zaydi imam, al-Hadi il-l-Haqq Yahya, temporarily assumed control of Sanaa in 901, but was later forced to leave the city. At the same time, Dai Ibn Haushab and Ali ibn al-Fadl were spreading the Fatimid faith among the mountain tribes and gained many followers. These two leaders are generally referred to as Qarmatians, although they were actually appointed as duats (leaders) by the Fatimid rulers. They were able to subdue Sanaa in 905 and limit the territory of the Yafurids to Kaukaban. For a long period, the ruler of the Yafurids, Abu Hasan Asaad bin Ibrahim, was forced to stay in the Jauf region, further north.
In the 15th century, the city of Kaukaban was the capital of the Bai Sharaf ad-Din dynasty (Italian: bai Sharaf al-Dīn).

In 1872, during the second conquest of Yemen by the Ottomans, Imam Sayyid Ahmad ibn Abd ar-Rahman defended the city from the Turks. The Ottomans took Kaukaban after a seven-month siege.
During the Civil War of 1962-1970, the republicans of the city, led by the imam, resisted in 1967, but due to bombing from aircraft, they were forced to surrender.