Great Mosque of Zabid

The Great Mosque of Zabid is a historic congregational mosque in the old city of Zabid, Yemen.

Great Mosque of Zabid
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Status	Active
Location
Location	Zabid, Yemen
Geographic coordinates	14°11′45″N 43°18′45″E
Architecture
Type	Mosque
Style	Islamic, Yemeni
Completed	10th–11th century
Minaret(s)	1

History

According to scholar Noha Sadek, the 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 al-Asha'ir Mosque, another famous mosque in the city.^[1] Both mosques became centers of Islamic scholarship in the city's heyday.^[2] The mosque underwent modification and reconstruction under the Ayyubid dynasty, circa 1200, at which point it acquired most of its present form.^[3][4] The brick minaret, one of oldest preserved minarets in Yemen (along with those of the Great Mosque of Sana'a and the mosque of Zafar Dhibin), dates from this period.^[3][5] The mosque went through further restoration under the Tahirid dynasty in 1492.^[4]

Architecture

The form of the mosque is that of a large hypostyle building with a central courtyard, reminiscent of the classic early Arab mosque plan in Islamic architecture.^[3] The minaret has an octagonal shaft^[5] and is distinguished by its decorative brickwork.^[6]