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Restoration of Al-Abbas Mosque

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Restoration of Al-Abbas Mosque – Asnaf, Yemen • Architecture and Polyphony 68

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Al-Abbas Mosque is a testimony to the living traditions and architecturalachievements of one of the world’s earliest civilizations. Built over yearsago, the mosque is situated on the remains of a pre-Islamic shrine or temple on a site honoured as a sacred place since ancient times. Its cubic form alsohas ancient precedents, including the Kaaba in Mecca.

The mosque is noted for its exceptionally fine ceiling, carved, gilded andpainted in masterful style.The local population, proud members of a tribalsociety, continues to revere the mosque and the site today still holds specialsignificance for them.Tribesmen often gather here for the quiet discussion ofmatters important to them, or the peaceful resolution of conflicts or differences.Villagers living in this remote area use the mosque for prayers, and local womenvisit the tomb of the holy figure after whom the mosque is named.

By the mid-s, deterioration of some of the timber elements of the paintedceiling had become advanced and portions were beginning to fall off.The ceilingwas dismantled and transported to the National Museum in Yemen’s capital,Sana’a. Local outcry at this removal initiated the restoration of the mosque itselfand reinstallation of the original ceiling.

The project represents a fine example of international and local collaboration to achieve the highest standards of conservation and to enable the training of Yemeni experts, who are now continuing the use of these techniques. Moreimportantly, it represents the determination and success of a local community in reclaiming this important example of architectural heritage as an integral,essential part of their contemporary lives.



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This scheme has been chosen to receive an Award because it appliesexemplary conservation standards and engages local pride in safe-guarding this culturally significant monument for future generations.

The project represents the establishment of a successful and sustainablepartnership between local and external expertise for the conservationprocess. Although the restoration spanned approximately ten yearsduring exceptional political conditions, the consistency, dedicationand commitment of both the external and local stakeholders ensuredthat the fabric of the building was not compromised in any way. Infact, the process has raised the benchmark for restoration in theregion, reviving traditional practices in tandem with modern scientificapproaches to conservation.These range from the use of traditionalmortars and plasters to complex structural repairs and the conservationof 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.

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Set in the highlands of Yemen, 40 kilometres from Sana’a, Al-Abbas Mosque dates from theturbulent last days before theoverthrow of the Sulayhid Dynasty,who ruled Yemen from 1046 to 1137.An inscription in the interior datesthe building to Dhu al-Hijjah 519(December 1125– January 1126 inthe Gregorian calendar) and namesthe founder as Sultan Musa binMuhammed al-Fitti. Anotherinscription names the builder orarchitect as Muhammed ibn Abul-Fath ibn Arhab. But the mosque isin fact named after a little-knownfigure called ‘Abbas’, a holy manwho is believed to be buried there.The presence of ancient relicsdating to the second century ADalso suggests that a sacred buildingexisted on the site in pre-Islamictimes. The mosque is not only usedfor prayer by local villagers but alsofunctions as a meeting place whereproblems between tribes can beresolved, while local women leavevotive offerings at the tomb of Abbas.

From its isolated position on theside of a 2,350-metre-high hillin this volcanic region, the mosquelooks over surrounding mountainsand valleys and several smallvillages, the closest being Asnaf, 2 kilometres away. Like the buildingsof these local villages, the lowerparts of the mosque’s walls aremade of stone, with mud bricks atthe upper levels. Almost square inplan, the mosque has a flat roof,making it cubic in shape. Inside aresix columns, four in stone datingfrom pre-Islamic times and two inbrick. Three of the columns haveantique capitals. The columns dividethe interior into four rows, leadingtowards the mihrab wall.

But the mosque’s most importantarchitectural feature is its elaboratecoffered ceiling, which is incomplete contrast to the building’smodest exterior. Most of it hassurvived intact since its construction,providing an excellent example ofthe artistic style that flourished in Yemen in the early twelfth centuryand an important reference for arthistorians. The ceiling’s twenty-twocaissons are covered with intricatedecoration carved, gilded andpainted in tempera on a woodensupport. The eighty different geometric and floral motifs thatappear on the ceiling are traditionalto the area, but also show Sassanid,Fatimid and Ghaznavid influences.The number of steps in each caissonincreases towards the mihrab, andthe caisson directly in front of themihrab has seven steps, signifyingthe seven layers of heaven. Inaddition, there is an inscribed friezearound the mihrab and a triple-bandfrieze around the top of the wallsthat continues the decorativescheme of the ceiling.

By the 1980s, the ceiling wassuffering from rot and warpingand the number of worshippers atthe mosque was beginning to fall.In 1985, the Yemeni Government’sGeneralOrganizationforAntiquities,Museums and Manuscripts askedthe French Centre for Yemeni Studiesin Sana’a to help preserve the ceiling.In order for the repair to take place,the ceiling was dismantled withfunding from UNESCO and removedto the National Museum at Sana’a,where a workshop was established.In 1987 the French Centre askedarchaeologist and conservatorMarylène Barret to carry out therestoration of the ceiling, which took three years.

For the slow, painstaking process of cleaning the decorated roof panels,a mixture of solvents was appliedwith cotton swabs, before fixingthe decoration with a diltuted resin.The importance of preserving thehistory of the ceiling was respected.If the original paint had been washedoff an area, it was left as it was.If a new board was used, it was eitherleft without any ornamentation ordecorated only on one or two endswith watercolour, leaving the middlepart unpainted. Some parts of thedecoration were left untouched sothat the difference between ‘before’and ‘after’ could be seen, and thenew watercolour decorations werewaterproofed chemically. When anew board was used to replace acarved, painted and gilded horizontalelement, it was not carved but paintedto create a trompe-l’oeil effect.Cracked pieces of wood werereinforced from the back, usingold timber wherever possible.

The Gulf War in 1990 and the out-break of civil war in Yemen in 1994brought the project to a halt. Duringthis time, fierce opposition to theremoval of the mosque’s ceiling wasvoiced by members of the Helwantribes, who insisted the ceiling bereturned to its original location.Before the ceiling could be returnedto the mosque, however, it was clearthat major repairs would have to bemade to the roof, which had a holein it, and the decision was taken torestore the fabric of the building itself.Marylène Barret was also asked toundertake this work and she calledin Yemeni architect Abdullah Al-Hadrami to work with her. These twoexperts assembled a team of Frenchand Yemeni archaeologists and thebest local craftsmen, who workedtogether to complete the restorationproject in 1996.



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The principal goal was to restore the building with a minimum of inter-vention. To achieve this, traditionalmaterials and techniques – manystill in use today – were employedwherever possible. No speculativeelements were inserted: all newelements can be traced back to original examples in both theirform and their location.

Brickwork that had previouslybeen repaired incorrectly wpulled down and the walls bondedwith new bricks made in the sameway as the originals. Door andwindow openings that had beenblocked were opened up, bringinglight into the interior. On the westwall, a window frieze with pre-Islamicmotifs was revealed inside the doorarch during the cleaning work. Onthe mihrab wall, only a small amountof plaster was replaced; the rest wasconserved or repaired. On the otherwalls, most surfaces were renewedwith mud plaster, covered by a topcoat of gypsum rubbed with mustardoil to create a patina. The floor wascovered with qudad – a traditionalmortar composed of lime and volcanic aggregate that is polishedwith a smooth stone and daubedwith animal fat. Electricity wasinstalled and, as fragments ofalabaster lamps had been foundduring the repair of the floor, the mosque is now lit by threetraditional lamps of this type, withelectric bulbs. An ablution tank tothe west of the building was alsorestored and a new stone pavementbuilt around the mosque to aid water drainage.

An attic space 1.2 metres highbetween the ceiling and the roofwould have enabled constructionof the original coffered ceiling. Sixbrick piers supported the roof withinthis space but these were disin-tegrating and so were rebuilt. Theoriginal roof was then reconstructed,with a layer of thin branches laidacross beams, covered with a thicklayer of earth and then a final layerof qudad. The single rainwateroutlet on the original roof wasconsidered insufficient becauseof the risks that water penetrationposes in preservation, so threeadditional drains were created. Several of the original merlons on the roof were missing, but from sixsurviving merlons it was possible to tell the exact shape and locationof the originals, so that replacements,made from brick like the survivingexamples, could be placed correctly.

After the completion of the roof, onethousand separate pieces of ceilingwere carefully assembled like apuzzle and numbered in the museum.They were then transported to themosque, one row at a time, and fixedto an ingenious new supportingstructure of U-shaped box beamsthat is entirely hidden now thatthe restored panels are in place.

Since the restoration, the building’soriginal elegance and decorationhave come alive, increasing theinterest of the local residents,who are proud of their mosqueand are especially happy to see thebeautiful ceiling back in place. Therestoration of the mosque is also ofgreat significance for the history ofarchitecture: Al-Abbas Mosque isan important historical record thatreflects artistic, social, cultural andeconomic values in this part of theworld dating from the early twelfthcentury back to pre-Islamic times.To preserve such a building is animportant way of inspiring futuregenerations to understand theirown culture and claim possessionof it. In addition, the restorationprinciples employed in Al-AbbasMosque may well serve as a guidefor further projects concerned withthe preservation of cultural property,and the project may stimulatefurther research, particularlyin relation to a number of ruinssurrounding the mosque site.Therestoration of Al-Abbas Mosqueis a testament to the cooperationof the local and foreign expertswho brought the project to fruition.

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Restoration of Al-Abbas MosqueAsnaf Village, Khawlan region, Yemen

ClientGovernment of Yemen, General Organizationfor Antiquities, Museums and Manuscripts,Yemen: Yussuf Abdallah, Director; Qadi Ismail Al-Akwa, former Director; French Centre forYemeni Studies, Yemen: Jean Lambert, Director;Frank Mermier and Rémy Audouin, formerdirectors.

SponsorsUnited Nations Educational, Scientific, andCultural Organization, France; French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Directorate ofCultural, Scientific and Technical Relations,Archaeology Department, France: PhilippeGeorgeais, Director; Jean-Claude Jacq andPhilippe Guillemin, former directors.

ConservatorsMarylène Barret, France, conservator andcoordinator, with assistance from Abdullah Al-Hadrami, Yemen, for architectural andmasonary restoration.

RestorersCeiling and woodwork: François de Bazelaire,France, and Benoit Cruypennick, France, woodrestorers; Gilbert Delcroix, France, advisor;Camilia An’am, Abeer Radwan, Khalida Hassan,Adel Said, Rashad al Kubati, and Mohamed alNoman, archaeologists (all from Yemen); Samia Noman, Yemen, archivist.

MasonaryMohamed Satar, master builder; Ahmed al Arasi, qudad work; Ahmet al Tairi and Mohamed al Namrani, gypsum work; Ali al Imad, mastermason; Mohammed al Siry, master carpenter (all from Yemen).

Master craftsman and caretakerAhmed Al-Shadhabi, Yemen.

Commission 1986Design 1987–May 1992Construction December 1995–March 1996Occupation May 1996

Site area 1200m2

Built area 110m2

Cost US$400,000

The French Centre for Yemeni Studies (CentreFrançais d’Études Yémenites – CFEY) initiates,coordinates and supports the work of French,Yemeni and foreign teams in the fields of socialsciences and archaeology in Yemen andneighbouring countries (Oman, Saudi Arabiaand Eritrea). Established in 1982, the centre isadministered by the General Directorate ofCultural, Scientific and Technical Relations ofthe French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whichalso funds its activities. Marylène Barret (b. 1954,France) was trained as an archaeologist at theSorbonne and at the École du Louvre in Paris.Specializing in the restoration of wall paintings,she has worked in France and Italy as well asSyria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Pakistan, in addition to her continuing work in Yemen.Abdallah Al-Hadrami (b. 1957, Yemen) is anarchitect and specialist in conservation whograduated from the New York Institute ofTechnology. He has been a contributor tomost major conservation projects in Yemensince 1990 as the Director General of theDepartment ofTechnical Cooperation at theGeneral Organization for Protection of HistoricCities of Yemen. He received an Aga Khan Awardin 1995 for his contribution to the conservation ofthe Old City of Sana’a.

WebsiteFrench Centre for Yemeni Studieswww.univ-aix.fr/cefas/

site plan of mosque, ablution tank and ruins

cross section

plan of mosque

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floral and geometric motifs

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Asn Ya, femen