Great Mosque of Zabid explained
| Building Name: | Great Mosque of Zabid |
| Location: | Zabid, Yemen |
| Coordinates: | 14.1959°N 43.3126°W |
| Religious Affiliation: | Islam |
| Functional Status: | Active |
| Architecture Type: | Mosque |
| Architecture Style: | Islamic, Yemeni |
| Year Completed: | 10th–11th century |
| Minaret Quantity: | 1 |
The Great Mosque of Zabid is a historic congregational mosque in the old city of Zabid, Yemen.
History
According to scholar Noha Sadek, the mosque is said to have been built by the Ziyadid ruler al-Husayn ibn Salamah, 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. The mosque underwent modification and reconstruction under the Ayyubid dynasty, circa 1200, at which point it acquired most of its present form.[2] [3] 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.[4] The mosque went through further restoration under the Tahirid dynasty in 1492.
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. The minaret has an octagonal shaft and is distinguished by its decorative brickwork.[5]
Further reading
- Book: Finster, Barbara . Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three . Brill . 2009 . 9789004161658 . Fleet . Kate . en . Arabian Peninsula, art and architecture . Krämer . Gudrun . Matringe . Denis . Nawas . John . Rowson . Everett. (Includes images of the mosque)
External links
Notes and References
- Sadek . Noha . 1998 . The mosques of Zabīd, Yemen: a preliminary report . Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies . 28 . 239–245 . 0308-8421.
- Finster . Barbara . 1992 . An Outline of the History of Islamic Religious Architecture in Yemen . Muqarnas . 9 . 124–147 . 10.2307/1523140 . 0732-2992 . 1523140.
- Book: The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture . Oxford University Press . 2009 . 9780195309911 . Bloom . Jonathan M. . en . Zabid . Blair . Sheila S..
- Book: The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture . Oxford University Press . 2009 . 9780195309911 . Bloom . Jonathan M. . en . Architecture; V. c. 900–c. 1250; B. Central Islamic lands; 4. Yemen . The earliest surviving minarets are at the Great Mosque of Zabid (c.1200), the Great Mosque of San῾a and the Great Mosque of Zafar Dhibin (14th century). The octagonal shaft of that at Zabid, articulated by blind arcades, sits on a relatively tall square base and is surmounted by a lantern resembling a muqarnas dome. This minaret served as a model for the 13th-century tower at the mosque of Mahjam and for various towers in the city of Zabid. . Blair . Sheila S..
- Book: Petersen, Andrew . Dictionary of Islamic Architecture . Routledge . 1996 . 9781134613663 . 311 . en . Yemen.
