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

, 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,

, 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

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

, and often falls into the camera frame. Her short minaret at a certain angle looks like a pinnacle on the dome of the mosque.

History

See also

References

Further reading