Great Mosque of Sanaa

Great Mosque of Sanaa
*al-Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr bi-Ṣanʿāʾ*
Great Mosque of Sanaa; al-Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr bi-Ṣanʿāʾ
الجامع الكبير بصنعاء
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Province	Amanat Al-Asemah
Rite	Zaydism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	In use
Leadership	Initially Muhammad and later Umayyad caliph al-Walid I
Year consecrated	7th–8th century
Status	Active
Location
Location	Yemen
Municipality	Sanaa
	Shown within Yemen
Geographic coordinates	15°21′11″N 44°12′54″E / 15.3531°N 44.2149°E
Architecture
Type	Mosque
Style	Umayyad
Groundbreaking	630 AD
Completed	Renovation 705 and 715 AD
Specifications
Length	80 m
Width	60 m
Minaret(s)	Two
Materials	Brick and stone

The Great Mosque of Sana'a (Arabic: الجامع الكبير بصنعاء‎, al-Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr bi-Ṣanʿāʾ) is an ancient mosque in Sana'a, Yemen, and one of the oldest mosques in the world.^[1] The mosque is said to have been founded in the early Islamic period, suggested to be in 633.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] 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.^[4] The mosque was reportedly built in part from spolia from the Himyarite-era Ghumdan Palace and from the Axumite Christian Church of al-Qalis that formerly occupied the site.^[1]^[4] The Great Mosque is the largest and most notable of over one hundred mosques in the Old City of Sana’a.^[3]

The building has undergone renovations in the 8th century, the 13th century, and in the Ottoman period.^[1] 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 World Heritage Site of the Old City of Sana'a.^[5]

^ ^a ^b ^c "World Heritage Institute of Training and Research-Asia and Pacific - Restoration of the Great Mosque in Sana'a, Yemen". www.whitr-ap.org. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
^ al-Mad'aj, 'Abd al-Muhsin (1994). New Arabian Studies Volume 1. University of Exeter Press. pp. 175–188. ISBN 9780859894081.
^ ^a ^b 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 doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0998 First published online: 2012 First print edition: ISBN 9789004161214, 1960-2007
^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b "Old City of Sana'a". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2020-12-09.

[:0-1] "World Heritage Institute of Training and Research-Asia and Pacific - Restoration of the Great Mosque in Sana'a, Yemen". www.whitr-ap.org. Retrieved 2020-12-09.

[2] -Mad'aj, 'Abd al-Muhsin (1994). New Arabian Studies Volume 1. University of Exeter Press. pp. 175–188. ISBN 9780859894081.

[:1-3] 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 doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0998 First published online: 2012 First print edition: ISBN 9789004161214, 1960-2007

[:5-4] Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:2-5] "Old City of Sana'a". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2020-12-09.

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