Jami' al-Muzaffariya
Taizz, Yemen

Commissioned by the Rasulid sultan al-Muzaffar in the second half of the thirteenth century, the Muzaffariyya mosque might once have been a madrasa however today it is the main congregational mosque of Ta'izz. Its masonry walls are plastered white and feature ornamental bands of blind arches and geometrically designed brickwork. They are surmounted by triangular latticed crenellation. The mosque's shallow domes indicate contemporaneous Egyptian and Indian influence.

Organized around a small courtyard, the mosque's interior prayer hall is covered by three large domes and includes three thick arcades that run parallel with the north-facing qibla wall. Together with the columns, the smaller domes create individual bays inside the sanctuary as can be seen in the corresponding images.

Sources:

Wald, Peter. Yemen, translated by Sebastian Wormell, 169-171. London: Pallas Athene, 1996.

Williams, John A.. Early Islamic Architecture of the Yemen: the early Islamic period, 9-10. Santa Barbara: Visual Education, Inc., 1977.

Location

Taizz, Yemen

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Associated Names

Events

1249-1295/646-694 AH

Style Periods

Variant Names

Mosque of al-Muzaffariyya
Variant
Jami' al Muzaffariyya
Variant

Site Types

religious
educational