Great Mosque Of Sanaʽa
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Great Mosque of Sana'a (, ) is an ancient
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
in
Sana'a Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation ...
,
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
, and one of the oldest mosques in the world. The mosque is said to have been founded in the early Islamic period, suggested to be in 633. While the precise date of construction is unknown, the earliest recorded renovations occurred under Caliph al-Walid I in the early 8th century, implying a possible earlier date of construction. The mosque was reportedly built in part from
spolia ''Spolia'' (Latin for 'spoils'; : ''spolium'') are stones taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction or decorative purposes. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice (spoliation) whereby stone that has been quar ...
from the Himyarite-era
Ghumdan Palace Ghumdan Palace, also Qasir Ghumdan or Ghamdan Palace, is an ancient fortified palace in Sana'a, Yemen, going back to the ancient Kingdom of Saba. All that remains of the ancient site (Ar. ''khadd'') of Ghumdan is a field of tangled ruins opposite ...
and from the Axumite Christian Church of al-Qalis that formerly occupied the site. The Great Mosque is the largest and most notable of over one hundred mosques in the Old City of Sana’a.Smith, G.R., “Ṣanʿāʾ”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 08 December 2020 First published online: 2012 First print edition: , 1960-2007 The building has undergone renovations in the 8th century, the 13th century, and during the Ottoman period. An important archaeological find was the Sana'a manuscript, discovered there during restoration in 1972. Today, the Great Mosque of Sana’a is part of the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
of the Old City of Sana'a.


Location

The city of Sana'a was the military center of the pre-Islamic kingdom of the Sabeans and was an important center for the
Himyarite Kingdom Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
. The mosque, commissioned by Muhammad, who instructed for its construction within the garden of the Persian governors, was built upon the ruins of Sheba's Ghumdan Palace, between the two areas of Sana'a at the time: al-Qati and al-Sirar. The Great mosque was built near the suq, which was already in place at the time of its construction. In later years, city planning, expansion, and orientation were greatly influenced by the construction of the Great Mosque and two other mosques on the city's north side.


History

Around 630 CE (6 AH), according to early Islamic sources, the Islamic prophet Muhammad was said to have commanded the construction of the Great Mosque of Sana’a, and the mosque is known as the first mosque to have been built outside of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. During this post-Hijra period (622-632 CE), Sana'a was central in the propagation of the Islamic religion. Many of the archaeological finds discovered in the Great Mosque substantiate an argument for its construction to the era when Muhammad was alive, including several spolia from the Axumite Cathedral as well as from the Sabaean
Ghumdan Palace Ghumdan Palace, also Qasir Ghumdan or Ghamdan Palace, is an ancient fortified palace in Sana'a, Yemen, going back to the ancient Kingdom of Saba. All that remains of the ancient site (Ar. ''khadd'') of Ghumdan is a field of tangled ruins opposite ...
. During the 7th century, the remains of pre-Islamic Sana'a were largely destroyed when it became the center for the spread of the Islamic faith during the early years of the Hijrah. This is evidenced by the architectural remains of pre-Islamic buildings found within the Great Mosque. From 705 to 715 (86–96 AH), the Umayyad caliph
al-Walid I Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (; – 23 February 715), commonly known as al-Walid I (), was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death in 715. He was the eldest son of his predecessor, Caliph Abd al-Malik (). As ...
expanded the mosque. An inscription found in the courtyard of the mosque dates to 753 CE,  in the
Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...
period. In 876/7 CE, floods twice caused substantial damage to the mosque, after which it was renovated. In the early 9th century, a minaret was constructed on the east side. In the year 911 CE, Karmatis invaded the city, damaging the mosque. In the twelfth century, 1130 CE, the Isma`ili Queen
Arwa al-Sulayhi Arwa al-Sulayhi (), () was a long-reigning ruler of Yemen, firstly as the co-ruler of her first two husbands and then as sole ruler, from 1067 until her death in 1138. She was the last of the rulers of the Sulayhid dynasty, Sulayhid Dynasty and ...
restored much of the mosque. She was responsible for the sculpted ceilings of the mosque's eastern, western, and northern wings. The mosque's western minaret was built as a part of this restoration. In the early 16th century, the mosque was renovated with a domed square structure and the paving of its courtyard.


Architecture

The Great Mosque is built in a style of stepped stone, which is linked to similar ancient Abyssinian Axumite stonework. The wooden ceilings, made of lacunari's wood, are carved and painted. The central courtyard measures 80 by 60 metres (260 ft × 200 ft), with prayer halls arranged in a north–south direction. Halls with three aisles aligned along the east–west direction are built with materials of the pre-Islamic period brought from other areas. Within the courtyard is a domed structure dating back to the 16th century. It is an Ottoman building that resembles the Ka'ba in Mecca, however, it is argued that the two are not connected due to the alternating layers of colored materials, which is an ablaq technique, predating Islam within the region. This structure first served as the mosque's treasury, and later as a storage place for
waqf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an Alienation (property law), inalienable charitable financial endowment, endowment under Sharia, Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot ...
and has a large library and other ancient manuscripts. This structure may originally have had a water feature such as an ablution pool beneath it for those wishing to purify themselves when visiting the mosque.The interior stone arcades of the flat roofs of the mosque are suggested to be
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
architectural features of the Axumite Empire. This is evidenced by the fact that the Axumite Empire erected its largest cathedral within the city of Sana'a and that remains of this cathedral, as well as from Gumdan palace and Christian and Jewish places of worship, are incorporated into the Great Mosque. Further evidence of this relation is an inscription in the pre-Islamic language of the region, Sabaic, in a reused stone arch support implies it is connected to Byzantine architecture.The western minaret, built during Queen Arwa bint Ahmad's restoration, is similar to those of the mosques of the same period built in Cairo, due to her close links with the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt.


Discoveries

In 1972–73, when plaster was removed by archaeologists, they discovered some 65 artifacts, including large quantities of old manuscripts and parchments, as well as the Sana'a manuscript, found by construction workers while renovating an attic wall. Four thousand rare Arabic manuscripts were also uncovered that are linked to the start of Islam, the Umayyad period, and
Sheba Sheba, or Saba, was an ancient South Arabian kingdoms in pre-Islamic Arabia, South Arabian kingdom that existed in Yemen (region), Yemen from to . Its inhabitants were the Sabaeans, who, as a people, were indissociable from the kingdom itself f ...
's Palace of Ghamdan and its destruction. One of the Koran found here is said to have been written or compiled by Imam Ali, which is preserved by the mosque library. Early book bindings found at the mosque have been well documented by scholars such as Ursula Dreibholz (1997). Other archaeological finds at the Great Mosque are remnants of vaults and old buildings connected to the capital when it contained the Axumite Church of al-Qalis, unearthed in 2006.


Preservation

The Great Mosque is included on the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
List, designated in 1986 as list no. 345, under Criteria: (iv)(v)(vi), which includes 103 mosques, 14 hammams, and over 6,000 houses of Sana'a, all built before the eleventh century. Preservation of the Great Mosque, which is of exceptional religious and historical value, has been supported by UNESCO's World Heritage Institute of Training and Research-Asia and Pacific (Shanghai). Analysis of the damage suffered by the mosque over several centuries includes evidence of floods, rains, soil subsidence, old electrical wiring and connections, groundwater seepage, vandalism, and wars, and also weak old buildings adjoining the mosque. Repairs and maintenance, initiated in 2003, continue to be carried out in phases, such as electrical system renovation. Plastering has been redone, including restoration of the old traditional plaster known as qudad. Pavings have been improved and minarets are being restored. Improvements have been made in ablution areas and modern toilets were added. Other improvements have been made to the water supply and sewerage systems, as well as the removal of old buildings that do not match the historical and architectural features of the mosque.


See also

*
List of mosques in Yemen This is a list of mosques in the Republic of Yemen, in the South Arabia, southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. See also * List of mosques in Sana'a * Islam in Yemen * Lists of mosques References External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosqu ...
** List of mosques in Sanaa


References


Further reading

* * Finster, Barbara, "Die Freitagsmoschee von Ṣan‘ā’," ''Baghdader Mitteilungen 9 (1978),'' p. 92-133; 10 (1979), p. 179-192. * Finster, Barbara. "Die Grosse Moschee von Ṣan‘ā," ''Archäologische Berichte aus dem Yemen 1,'' 1982, p. 197-211, 3, 1986, p. 185-193. * Finster, Barbara. "Survey islamischer Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler im Yemen - Die Große Moschee von Ṣan‘ā'", ''Archäologische Berichte aus dem Yemen'', III, 1986 (1987), 185–193. * Costa, Paolo. “La Moschea Grande di San’a,” Annali. Instituto Orientale di Napoli 34 (N.S. 24) (1974), pp/ 487–506. * Costa, Paolo. ''Studies in Arabian Architecture'', London: Routledge, 1994, chapter II "The Great Mosque of Sanaa." {{Authority control Mosques in Sanaa Grand mosques