Tahla Mosque
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Talha Mosque or Qubbat Talha ( ar, قبة طلحة, Qubbat Ṭalḥah), one of the oldest mosques in Sana'a ( Yemen), was built by order of the Ottoman Wali Hadji Mehmed Pasha from 1619 to 1620, during the first Ottoman occupation. The
minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
was built at the same time.


History

In 1831 and 1832 the mosque was partially restored by order of
imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
al-Mahdi Abdallah Al-Mahdi Abdallah (1793 – 28 November 1835) was an Imam of Yemen who ruled from 1816 to 1835. He belonged to the Qasimid family, who were descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. From 1597 to 1962, the Qasimids dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen. ...
, the son of
al-Mutawakkil Ahmad Al-Mutawakkil Ahmad (المتوكل أحمد) (26), (full name Ahmad bin Ali bin Abbas: أحمد بن علي بن عباس) September 1756 - 10 September 1816 was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1809–1816. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descend ...
, as evidenced by the inscription in the prayer hall. The Talha Mosque was built 23 years after the construction of the
Al-Bakiriyya Mosque Bakiriyya Mosque is a mosque constructed in Sana'a around 1596–97 by the Ottoman governor of Yemen, Hasan Pasha. The mosque fell into disrepair after the Ottomans were driving out of Yemen in 1626 but was fully restored when the Ottomans ...
and uses some of the same stylistic features. Due to the small size of the prayer hall and the short minaret, the Talha Mosque seems quite appropriate to the general style of Sana'a mosques among the narrow streets of
Old City District Old City District ( ar, مديرية صنعاء القديمة ''Mudayrīyah Ṣanʿāʾ al-Qadīmah'') is a district of the Amanat Al Asimah Governorate, Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ...
. But, like the
Al-Bakiriyya Mosque Bakiriyya Mosque is a mosque constructed in Sana'a around 1596–97 by the Ottoman governor of Yemen, Hasan Pasha. The mosque fell into disrepair after the Ottomans were driving out of Yemen in 1626 but was fully restored when the Ottomans ...
, it is also an example of Ottoman architecture, successfully combining the different architectural styles of the Ottoman Empire and Yemen. The mosque is a complex that includes a prayer hall,
minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
, courtyard, rooms for bathing, swimming pool and
hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...
. The entrance to the mosque is preceded by a four-dome
portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
with two arched walkways. Unlike Al-Bakiriyya Mosque, Talha Mosque does not feature additional enlargements (outbuildings). The prayer hall of the mosque therefore forms rectangle. The semi-circular dome of the prayer hall is decorated with stucco and rests on an octagonal drum, surrounded by four octagonal corner towers, also decorated with
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
. Each face in the center drum has an arched window that serves as an additional source of light of the prayer hall. The prayer hall of the Talha Mosque does not have the traditional Yemeni mosques wooden coffered ceiling and columns as the square, as per plan, in Al-Bakiriyya Mosque. Support drum and
dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
at the expense of small-vaulted arched sails. The
minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
is located next to the prayer hall, on the southeast corner. Relatively low, it stands on a rectangular base. Interesting in its own decor minaret. There used rather peculiar favorite decorative motif of Yemen - four-sided diamond (rhombus), which is considered the same protective amulet. Here it is used not as usual - vertically and horizontally around balcony. Under the balcony just as interesting stylized floral motif, reminiscent of
sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...
. Talha Mosque located in the western part of Sana'a, in the
Old City District Old City District ( ar, مديرية صنعاء القديمة ''Mudayrīyah Ṣanʿāʾ al-Qadīmah'') is a district of the Amanat Al Asimah Governorate, Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ...
, and often falls into the camera frame. Her short minaret at a certain angle looks like a pinnacle on the dome of the mosque.


See also

*
Islam in Yemen Islam in Yemen dates back to about 630AD, when it was introduced into the region by Ali when Muhammad was still alive. It was during this period that the mosques in Janad (near Ta'izz) and the Great Mosque of Sana'a were built. Yemenis are di ...
* List of mosques in Yemen ** List of mosques in Sanaa


References


Further reading

* Ronald Lewcock. ''The Old Walled City of San’a°′''. Paris: UNESCO. 1986. * Trevor H. J. ''Marchand Minaret Building and Apprenticeship in Yemen''. 2001 * Barbara Finster. "An Outline of the History of Islamic Religious Architecture in Yemen'. In Oleg Grabar (ed.), ''Muqarnas IX: An Annual on Islamic Art and Architecture''. Leiden: E.J. Brill. 1992 * Сана. Принципы архитектурного градостроительства разных мусульманских эпох. Сана, Центр инженерного консультирования Аттахера, 2005. * ''Удалова Г. М.'' Йемен в период первого османского завоевания (1538—1635). М., 1988. {{Tourist attractions in Yemen Mosques in Sanaa