Masjid Salah al-Din

Sana'a, Yemen

Located in the eastern quarter of Sana'a, the Mosque of Imam Salah al-Din is the tomb mosque of Imam Salah al-Din Muhammad. It dates to 1390, the year of his death. The domed mosque is square in plan with a qibla iwan to the north, and a southern extension with a second mihrab. Inside the prayer hall, the arcades are oriented along the east-west axis. Accommodations for students are located on the second floor, above the main entrance of the mosque. The imam is buried in a domed tomb next to the entrance along with his son al-Mansur Ali ibn Muhammad (d. 1436), his wife, and other relatives. This closed chamber is decorated with scalloped arches and an alabaster dado.

The mosque is well-known for its minaret. Constructed in the late sixteenth century by Ottoman governor Sinan Pasha, the minaret is decorated a strong diamond pattern. A ribbed cupola with a finial (alem) surmounts the structure.

Sources:

Finster, Barbara. "An Outline of the History of Islamic Religious Architecture in Yemen." In Muqarnas IX: An Annual on Islamic Art and Architecture, edited by Oleg Grabar, 132, 142. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992.

Lewcock, Ronald, R.B. Serjeant, and G. Rex Smith. "The Smaller Mosques in San'a." In San'a': An Arabian Islamic City, edited by R.B. Serjeant and Ronald Lewcock, 370. London: The World of Islam Festival Trust, 1983.