Queen Arwa Mosque
Type:
Mosques
Date:
1056–1111
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Yemen
Description:
The Queen Arwa Mosque in Jibla, Yemen, is named after its patron, Malikah (i.e., Queen) Arwa al-Sulayhi (1048–1138. Arwa, also known as Al-Malika Al-Hurra (the Noble Queen), was co-ruler of Yemen with her first two husbands and then sole ruler from 1067. She reigned with the backing of the Fatimid caliph and her mosque included features characteristic of Fatimid mosques in Egypt: a wide, central aisle leads from the courtyard to the mihrab, intersecting the four aisles of the prayer hall, which are arranged parallel to the qibla wall.
Arwa had her tomb built in north-west corner of the mosque and was buried there after her death in 1138. She is also associated with a palace in Jibla, improvements to the road leading to Samarra, and restorations around 1130 of the Great Mosque of Sana'a.
Arwa had her tomb built in north-west corner of the mosque and was buried there after her death in 1138. She is also associated with a palace in Jibla, improvements to the road leading to Samarra, and restorations around 1130 of the Great Mosque of Sana'a.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons
