The neighborhood Shabazi (now known as Neve Tzedek) was named after the poet Shabazi, who was born in 1619 in the town of Najd al-Walid, in Yemen.[1] He claimed descent from Zerah, the son of Judah. At the death of his father, Yosef Mashta, Shalom moved to the small town of Shabaz, near the city of Ta'izz. Soon after he moved to Ta'izz where he built a house of prayer and a ritual bath (mikveh) outside the city, beneath Jebel Ṣabir. He and his family were expelled, along with most of the Yemenite Jews, in 1679. Shabazi, like many Jews of his generation, was influenced by Shabbetai Zevi and thought that he may be the messiah. He died c. 1720 and was buried in Ta'izz, at the foot of Jabal Sabir. In the early 20th century the grave of Shabazi was a place of pilgrimage for both Jews and Muslims, especially for those who sought healing.

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Shabazi gave faithful poetic expression to the suffering and yearning of his generation, whose national poet he became. It seems that he wandered in poverty throughout Yemen. Many legends describe him as a Tẓaddik and miracle worker; his tomb in Taiz was considered holy and became a shrine where both Jews and Muslims prayed for relief from sickness and misery. His poetry deals primarily with the religious themes of exile and redemption, the Jewish people and God, wisdom and ethics, Torah, and the life to come. Many of his poems deal with the glorious past of the Jews in their own land, from which the author draws faith and hope for renewed greatness in the future. 

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In popular culture, Shabazi's poem "Im Nin'alu" (אם ננעלו) became a hit single sung by Israeli singer Ofra Haza whose family is of Yemenite origin, and it has also been interpreted by Yemenite singer Daklon. Other songs, such as "As'alak" (أسألك) and Ayyalath Hen, were also performed by Ofra Haza as well as Zion Golan, Aharon Amram and Shoshana Damari.

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