Al-Ashrafia Mosque: Restoration of an Islamic Era Landmark
The third rehabilitation project for the restoration of the Al-Ashrafia mosque and school has begun in Taiz, Yemen.
It is an international project, at an estimated cost of YR23 million, and is being carried out by the cultural legacy unit of the social development fund, under the supervision of the archeology office in the governorate.
This third stage will be a finishing point for the remaining works of the previous building restorations, which started in May 2005. This third phase is being conducted in cooperation with an Italian team from a cultural heritage institute in Venice.
The general archeology manager and project expert, l-Izi Mohammed Musleh, announced that the first stages were completed at a cost of YR51 million, adding that a photocartographic device has been used for the first time in the Arab world. The device was used for documenting and mapping the dimensions of the antiques in the school.
The al-Ashrafia school was built in the Rasoli state era, which was named after Sultan King al-Ashraf Ismail Bin King al-Afdhl (803h – 1400h), son of King al-Mujahid (800h).
The Mosque was named after al-Ashraf and contains a religious school, built in 696h. It was finished the same year in which he died. It was mentioned in the Arab School book, written by the Arab historian document writer Ismail Bin Ali al-Akwa’, as the great Ashrafia school in Taiz. It still exists, but it was neglected by endowment officials who did not bother to repair its cracked walls. The dilemma of the school was aggravated during Imam Ahmed Bin Hameededin’s rule, who died in 1383h, when he changed the whole building with the exception of the mosque into a leather tannery.
The Ashrafia school lies in the southwest part of the old city, in an area that was named after it. It is considered one of the earmarks of the Islamic era in general and the Rasoli state in particular, whose rule was keen to combine education and worship in their buildings. Sultan King al-Ashraf (Ismail Bin Abas), ordered it to be built. It contains a prayer hall, a mosque, the niche (imam’s place), two minarets, baths, a burial yard and an open courtyard on the lower floor. The burial yard contains three tombs; one for King al-Ashraf and the second for Ismail. The mosque has two superb twin minarets 35 meters high.
The minaret towers shoot up out of the base and body and have two balconies each, which are crowned by a bright white tomb. The two minarets lie at the rear part of the mosque, one on the south and the other at the eastern side. Between these minarets there are a number of small and large tombs. The mosque was built on a high cliff, on a small area. The prayer area is fifty by twenty-five cubits. There are balconies all around the mosque, and there are four horseshoe-shaped windows in the outer western wall. In exploring the inner part of the mosque, there appears a huge old wooden door at the western side of the prayer area which speaks to the greatness of those who made it.
Source: Yemen Observer
This third stage will be a finishing point for the remaining works of the previous building restorations, which started in May 2005. This third phase is being conducted in cooperation with an Italian team from a cultural heritage institute in Venice.
The general archeology manager and project expert, l-Izi Mohammed Musleh, announced that the first stages were completed at a cost of YR51 million, adding that a photocartographic device has been used for the first time in the Arab world. The device was used for documenting and mapping the dimensions of the antiques in the school.
The al-Ashrafia school was built in the Rasoli state era, which was named after Sultan King al-Ashraf Ismail Bin King al-Afdhl (803h – 1400h), son of King al-Mujahid (800h).
The Mosque was named after al-Ashraf and contains a religious school, built in 696h. It was finished the same year in which he died. It was mentioned in the Arab School book, written by the Arab historian document writer Ismail Bin Ali al-Akwa’, as the great Ashrafia school in Taiz. It still exists, but it was neglected by endowment officials who did not bother to repair its cracked walls. The dilemma of the school was aggravated during Imam Ahmed Bin Hameededin’s rule, who died in 1383h, when he changed the whole building with the exception of the mosque into a leather tannery.
The Ashrafia school lies in the southwest part of the old city, in an area that was named after it. It is considered one of the earmarks of the Islamic era in general and the Rasoli state in particular, whose rule was keen to combine education and worship in their buildings. Sultan King al-Ashraf (Ismail Bin Abas), ordered it to be built. It contains a prayer hall, a mosque, the niche (imam’s place), two minarets, baths, a burial yard and an open courtyard on the lower floor. The burial yard contains three tombs; one for King al-Ashraf and the second for Ismail. The mosque has two superb twin minarets 35 meters high.
The minaret towers shoot up out of the base and body and have two balconies each, which are crowned by a bright white tomb. The two minarets lie at the rear part of the mosque, one on the south and the other at the eastern side. Between these minarets there are a number of small and large tombs. The mosque was built on a high cliff, on a small area. The prayer area is fifty by twenty-five cubits. There are balconies all around the mosque, and there are four horseshoe-shaped windows in the outer western wall. In exploring the inner part of the mosque, there appears a huge old wooden door at the western side of the prayer area which speaks to the greatness of those who made it.
Source: Yemen Observer
