Al-Asha'ir Mosque

The al-Asha'ir Mosque (جامع الأشاعرة), is an ancient mosque in the historic city of Zabid, Yemen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[1]

al-Asha'ir Mosque جامع الأشاعرة
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Region	West Asia
Status	Active
Location
Location	Zabid, Yemen
Geographic coordinates	14°11′42.6″N 43°19′0.0″E
Architecture
Type	Mosque
Style	Islamic, Yemeni
Completed	10th–11th century
Minaret(s)	1

History

The mosque is believed to be the oldest in the city.^[2] There is disagreement among sources as to whether the mosque was first built by Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, a sahabi or companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (7th century).^[3] According to historian Noha Sadek, the current mosque is said to have been built by the Ziyadid ruler al-Husayn ibn Salamah (r. 983–1012), who was also responsible for building the city's main Great Mosque.^[4][5] Both of these mosques became centers of Islamic scholarship after their construction.^[5]

Architecture

The mosque occupies a rectangular area (50.35 x 50.24 m) and contains an open sahn, or courtyard, measuring 11 x 5 square meters. Surrounded by four corridors, the qibla can be accessed through the main gate located on the south side or through the mosque's other doors, which open directly to the qibla hallway. It is worth mentioning that the mihrab is not in the middle of the qibla wall. This is due to the repeated additions to the mosque: for example, a wooden platform inside the wall to the east of the mihrab, a pulpit dating back to the year 1542.^{[citation needed]}

The minaret of the mosque is located above the southern hallway. It has a square base topped by an octagonal body adorned with muqarnas. The minaret is covered by a fortress dome on the top, which is a design common among minarets in Zabid.^{[citation needed]}

The mosque has a wooden chair that was dedicated to the reading of the Prophet's Hadith and is still in the qibla hallway to this day since the date of its creation in the year 927.^{[citation needed]}

The Mosque of Al-Asha'ir also functioned as an Islamic university where students from all over Yemen and the Islamic world lived and studied.

See also

• List of mosques in Yemen

References

1. "Historic Town of Zabid". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
2. Power, Timothy (2012). The Red Sea from Byzantium to the Caliphate: AD 500-1000. Oxford University Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-977-416-544-3.
3. Keall, E. J. (1984). "A Preliminary Report on the Architecture of Zabīd". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 14: 51–65. ISSN 0308-8421. JSTOR 41223013.
4. Sadek, Noha (1998). "The mosques of Zabīd, Yemen: a preliminary report". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 28: 239–245. ISSN 0308-8421. JSTOR 41223630.
5. Sadek, Noha (2002). "Zabīd". In Bearman, P. J.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume XI: W–Z. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 370. ISBN 978-90-04-12756-2.