Description
Al-Abbas Mosque is a testimony to the living
traditions and architectural achievements of one
of the world’s earliest civilizations. Built
over 800 years ago, the mosque is situated on
the remains of a pre-Islamic shrine or temple
on a site considered sacred since ancient times.
Its cubic form also has ancient precedents, including
the Kaaba in Mecca. The local population continues
to revere the mosque and the site today still
holds special significance for them.
Set in the highlands of Yemen, 40 kilometres from
Sana’a, Al-Abbas Mosque dates from the last
days of the Sulayhid Dynasty. An inscription in
the interior dates the building to Dhu al-Hijjah
519 (December 1125–January 1126 in the Gregorian
calendar) and names the founder as Sultan Musa
bin Muhammed al-Fitti. Another inscription names
the builder or architect as Muhammed ibn Abul-Fath
ibn Arhab. But the mosque is in fact named after
a little-known figure called ‘Abbas’,
a holy man who is believed to be buried there.
The lower parts of the mosque’s walls are
made of stone, with mud bricks at the upper levels.
Almost square in plan, the mosque has a flat roof,
making it cubic in shape. Inside are six columns,
four in stone dating from pre-Islamic times and
two in brick. Three of the columns have antique
capitals. The columns divide the interior into
four rows, leading towards the mihrab wall.
The mosque’s elaborate coffered ceiling
is in complete contrast to the building’s
modest exterior. Most of it has survived intact
since its construction. The ceiling’s twenty-two
caissons are covered with intricate decoration
carved, gilded and painted in tempera on a wooden
support.
By the 1980s, the ceiling was suffering from rot
and warping. In 1985, the Yemeni Government asked
the French Centre for Yemeni Studies in Sana’a
to help preserve it. The ceiling was dismantled
with funding from UNESCO and removed to the National
Museum at Sana’a. In 1987 the French Centre
asked archaeologist and conservator Marylène
Barret to carry out the restoration of the ceiling,
which took three years. The cleaning and restoration
was a slow, painstaking process, and the importance
of preserving the history of the ceiling was respected.
Major repairs were also required on the roof,
and the decision was taken to restore the fabric
of the building itself. Marylène Barret
undertook this work with Yemeni architect Abdullah
al-Hadrami, together with a team of French and
Yemeni archaeologists and the best local craftsmen,
who completed the restoration project in 1996.
Traditional materials and techniques – many
still in use today, such as qudad, a traditional
mortar composed of lime and volcanic aggregate
that is polished with a smooth stone and daubed
with animal fat – were employed wherever
possible. No speculative elements were inserted:
all new elements can be traced back to original
examples in both their form and their location.
After the completion of the roof, one thousand
separate pieces of ceiling were carefully assembled
like a puzzle and numbered in the museum. They
were then transported to the mosque, one row at
a time, and fixed to an ingenious new supporting
structure of U-shaped box beams that is entirely
hidden now that the restored panels are in place.
Since the restoration, the building’s original
elegance and decoration have come alive, increasing
the interest of the local residents, who are proud
of their mosque and are especially happy to see
the beautiful ceiling back in place. The restoration
principles employed in Al-Abbas Mosque may well
serve as a guide for further projects concerned
with the preservation of cultural property, and
the project may stimulate further research, particularly
in relation to a number of ruins surrounding the
mosque site.
Jury Citation
This scheme has been chosen to receive an Award
because it applies exemplary conservation standards
and engages local pride in safeguarding this culturally
significant monument for future generations.
The project represents the establishment of a
successful and sustainable partnership between
local and external expertise for the conservation
process. Although the restoration spanned approximately
ten years during exceptional political conditions,
the consistency, dedication and commitment of
both the external and local stakeholders ensured
that the fabric of the building was not compromised
in any way. In fact, the process has raised the
benchmark for restoration in the region, reviving
traditional practices in tandem with modern scientific
approaches to conservation. These range from the
use of traditional mortars and plasters to complex
structural repairs and the conservation of the
delicate decorative ceiling paintings.
The project also demonstrates sensitivity in dealing
with the building as a living fabric. The restoration
has extended the significance and usefulness of
this historic mosque for the benefit of the larger
social, cultural and physical landscape in which
it is situated.
Project
Data
Client Government of Yemen, General Organization
for Antiquities, Manuscripts and Museums, Yemen:
Yussuf Abdallah, Director; Qadi Ismail al-Akwa,
former Director; French Centre for Yemeni Studies,
Yemen: Jean Lambert, Director; Frank Mermier and
Rémy Audouin, former directors.
Sponsors United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization, France; French Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, General Directorate of Cultural,
Scientific and Technical Relations, Archaeology
Department, France: Philippe Georgeais, Director;
Jean-Claude Jacq and Philippe Guillemin, former
directors.
Conservators Marylène Barret, France,
conservator and coordinator, with assistance from
Abdullah al-Hadrami, Yemen, for architectural
and masonary restoration.
Restorers Ceiling and woodwork: François
de Bazelaire, France, and Benoit Cruypennick,
France, wood restorers; Gilbert Delcroix, France,
advisor; Camilia An’am, Abeer Radwan, Khalida
Hassan, Adel Said, Rashad al Kubati, and Mohamed
al Noman, archaeologists (all from Yemen); Samia
Noman, Yemen, archivist.
Masonary: Mohamed Satar, master builder; Ahmed
al Arasi, qudad work; Ahmet al Tairi and Mohamed
al Namrani, gypsum work; Ali al Imad, master mason;
Mohammed al Siry, master carpenter. (All from
Yemen.)
| Master craftsman
and caretaker |
Ahmed al-Shadhabi, Yemen |
| Commission |
1986 |
| Design |
1987–May 1992 |
| Construction |
December 1995–March 1996 |
| Occupation |
May 1996 |
| Site Area |
1200 m2 |
| Built area |
110 m2 |
| Cost |
US$ 400,000 |
Project
Photography
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