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The Aga Khan Award for Architecture The Aga Khan Award for Architecture Restoration of Amiriya Madrasa Rada, Yemen Conservator: Selma al-Radi Client: General Organization of Antiquities, Museums and Manuscripts Date of Completion: 2001 - ongoing 2701.YEM

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The Aga Khan Award for ArchitectureThe Aga Khan Award for Architecture

Restoration of Amiriya MadrasaRada, Yemen

Conservator:

Selma al-Radi

Client:

General Organization of Antiquities, Museums and Manuscripts

Date of Completion:

2001 - ongoing

2701.YEM

Table of Contents

2004 Technical Review Summary (33 pages)

2004 Architect’s Record (9 pages)

Architect’s Presentation Panels (2 panels on 1 page)

Images and Drawings (19 pages)

Thumbnail Images of Scanned Slides (11 pages)

List of Visual Materials (9 pages)

List of Additional Materials (1 page)

List of Slides (2 pages)

List of other Materials (3 pages)

Restoration of Amiriya Madrasa Rada, Yemen I. Introduction

The Amiriya Madrasa was built by the last sultan of the Tahirid Dynasty at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It is quite a large madrasa, including several spaces that were probably private living spaces alongside a masjid and teaching rooms. The decoration, structure and form of the spaces are rich and varied. Extensive stucco decoration in qudad plaster and gypsum covers the walls and domes alongside tempera paintings. The dangerous condition of the madrasa first prompted interventions to deal with the structural elements of the building, such as the walls and roof. This was mostly finished by 1987. Cleaning and restoration of the stucco decoration continues to the present day, with a team of experts form Italy restoring the paintings. The whole project is financed by contributions from the Yemeni and Dutch governments. The project started in 1982 and completion is planned for the end of 2004. The masjid will then be opened for use by the inhabitants of Rada, and the rest of the building will become a museum under the Yemeni Government Organization for Antiquities, Museums and Manuscripts (GOAMM).

II. Contextual Information A. Historical background

Yemen’s earliest history, dating from the Stone and Bronze ages, has only recently been studied. For many years the region of Yemen was governed by a series of local rulers and the periods of their reigns overlap. Islam came to Yemen during the time of the Prophet. The rule of early Islamic governors (622–847) was followed by the Ziyadids (818–1018), whose centre of power lay in the Yemeni highlands, along the Indian Ocean coast and in Tihama, a predominantly Sunni area. Yufurid rule (847–997) was centred around Sana’a and spread to the north-west. The Najahids (1021–1156) were a black dynasty from Tihama and their rule spread to Zabid and northern Tihama. The Sulayhids (1047–1138), a Fatimid dynasty, ruled around Sana’a and Dhu Jıbla. The Sulaymanids (1069–1173) were a dynasty of hasani sharifs who ruled in the area of northern Tihama. The Zuray’ids (1080–1173) were a Fatimid dynasty centred around Aden. The Hamdanid sultans (1099–1173) held power around Sana’a. The Mahdids (1159–1173) ruled around Tihama, Zabid and Dhu Jıbla. The Ayyubids (1173–1289) were non-Arab Shafi’i Sunnis. It was not until the reign of the Rasulids (1228–1454), who were Shafi’i and Turkoman in origin, that Yemen was united under a central government. The rather short rule of the Tahirids (1454–1517) was stronger in the south around Miqran, Rada and Juban, and Ta'iz was the capital. Their major income was trade with India.

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The Tahirids were Shafi–Sunnite, like the Rasulids. Initially Tahirid architecture continued Rasulid traditions, especially in the prolific construction of large decorated madrasas and mosques. The architecture of the period shows many sources of inspiration, including Anatolia, Syria, Iraq, Mamluk Egypt and, of course, India. The Amiriya Madrasa was constructed by the last ruler of the Tahirid Dynasty, Amir Ibn ‘Abd Al-Wahhab (1489–1517). Rada became an important centre during his time and additional madrasas – the Ribat and the Bagdadiya – were built by Sultan Amir's uncle and one of his wives. Historians and travellers, as well as documents of the period, reveal that Sultan Amir enjoyed staying in Rada for extended periods. The major part of Rada was his waqf. It is assumed that the Amiriya Madrasa had several associated residential buildings and that Sultan Amir used the madrasa complex as a residence when he was in Rada.

The fate of the Tahirid monuments, including the Amiriya Madrasa, changed when the Zaydi ruler Imam Mutahhar took control in 1535–36 after two decades of turmoil. The austere Zaydis shunned the ornate Tahirid buildings; in most of them the decoration was covered or destroyed. The endowed waqf properties were confiscated, leaving the madrasas with no financial support. The foundation inscription of the Amiriya Madrasa starts at the north-east corner of the masjid and is executed in carved plaster stucco: ‘The construction of this blessed and auspicious madrasa was ordered by our lord and master and master of our affairs, our lord the greatest imam and exalted king…Salāh al-Dunyā wa al-Dīn, al-Malik al-Zāfir, our lord ‘Āmir, son of our lord the sultan al-Malik al-Mansūr ‘Abd al-Wahhāb ibn Dā’ūd ibn Tāhir, may his victory be glorious. The beginning [of the construction] of this blessed building was in the month of Rabī’ I of the months of the year 910 of Hijra. On the owner the best of prayers and peace.’ This date corresponds to August/September 1504. Although the date is inscribed in stucco, which would have been applied at the final stages of construction, the date notes the beginning of construction.

B. Local architectural character

For centuries Rada has been inhabited by a conservative and inbred tribal society. The local Mural and Gayfa tribes are known for their fierce and bloody feuds, which even involve tanks. Moments of truce between the two tribes are celebrated by shooting at the façades of the Amiriya Madrasa. Archaeological finds date Rada back to pre-Islamic times, but it is mentioned in Yemeni chronicles only after the fourteenth century. Several monuments from the Rasulid and Tahirid eras are still standing or were torn down only in the last couple of decades. The town is located on the south of the castle, some parts of the town walls and entrances also stood until very recently. Although the public spaces of the town are neglected and the loosely defined streets and open areas are littered with refuse, care is taken with the exteriors of the houses, which are decorated according to individual tastes. The main building material in Rada is mud brick. Volcanic stone in different colours is used on the first one or two floors of the houses as

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roughly coursed or rubble-stone masonry. Mud brick and brick are used for the upper floors. Mud brick surfaces are mud plastered, whereas brick surfaces are left totally exposed. Coursing of mud bricks and bricks and the use of writing as part of the decorative repertoire are common features.

The houses are three to five storeys high, with frequent use of recessed blind arches, which reduce the dead weight of the walls as well as providing defined surfaces for decoration. The lower windows have double-wing shutters and are protected from sun and rain by sloping cantilever projections nailed to the frames above the openings. Most of the top windows are set in double or triple arches and filled with single panes of alabaster. In poorer houses the alabaster panes are embedded directly into the wall with plaster. These alabaster windows and others with coloured glass set in gypsum with geometric or floral designs create well-lit and intimate interiors. Roofs are flat with low parapet walls, accentuated by crenellations at the corners. A dish antenna is currently an inevitable feature of every roof terrace.

C. Climatic conditions

Yemen is divided into five natural regions that run parallel to each other in the north–south direction. A mountainous spine called the Highlands forms the central band, with altitudes of over 3,000 metres. Rada is located on a plain in a volcanic region almost at the edge of the Eastern Highland Plateau, at an altitude of 2,350 metres. There are two rainy seasons, between March and April and August and September. The rich volcanic soil and rains provide fertile ground for a wide range of crops, including fruits such as pomegranates and grapes.

D. Site and surroundings

Rada, is the most important town in the southern half of the Eastern Plateau and is among the more important centres of Yemen. It is about 160 kilometres southeast of the capital, Sana’a, on a main road that diverges at Dhamar from the road connecting Sana’a to the southern port of Aden. Rada grew up around the only outcrop of rock in the surrounding plain and it is on this outcrop that the town’s castle is built. The urban tissue surrounding the Amiriya Madrasa does not seem to include any houses that are contemporary with it. In the early 1980s, the madrasa was closely surrounded by other buildings that encroached into its grounds or even used its walls as part of their own structures. Some of these were removed during the first years of the project, including a large house used as a hotel about half a metre from the entrance stairs on the east side. At present, there are two three-storey stone and brick houses at a distance of about 4 metres from the east wall of the building. The more southerly of these has its south wall partially built on the balustrade of the stairs to the main entrance. A single-storey shop occupies the area between the two houses. A small cement-brick structure leans on the south wall of the first courtyard, and two other such structures are leaning onto the west wall of the second. All of these are expropriated to be demolished.

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E. Topography

The Amiriya is surrounded by streets and the courtyards of existing or demolished houses. Some of these must have been constructed some time in the twentieth century because a photograph taken by H. Burchardt in the early 1900s shows a wheat field to the west of the building. However, this does not necessarily mean that the madrasa was constructed outside the town in the middle of agricultural land: it is at the foot of the castle and very near other madrasas, all of which were constructed before it. Rather, the houses in the area were probably built on or remained in large plots of cultivable land because the town constantly diminished in size and importance.

The original periphery of the Amiriya is very difficult to imagine. At present, only two sides of the building, to the east and the north, relate to the surrounding streets; on the other sides, beyond the boundary of the courtyard walls, the relationship with built-up and open spaces is very loose. Most of the houses in the vicinity have lost their courtyard walls and therefore stand in rather undefined areas without any discernable relationship with each other or any street. Very few of these houses are used and most have either collapsed or are in an advanced stage of dilapidation. There is a sweet slope from west to east and from north to south.

III. Programme

The Amiriya was in a very precarious condition when archaeologist Dr Selma al-Radi, then working as a consultant for the National Museum in Sana’a, visited it and was awed by the beauty and significance of the building as well as its deplorable condition. It was her initiative that started the project in 1982. Her intentions for the safeguarding of the Amiriya Madrasa overlapped with the proposal of Qadi Ismail al Aqwa in 1969 to give priority to the restoration of two Islamic monuments: the Ashrafiya in Ta’iz and the Amiriya Madrasa in Rada. The Dutch Government, through its Technical Aid Ministry, was involved with a rural development programme for the Rada region. The restoration of the Amiriya Madrasa was included in this programme under the condition that the Yemeni Government provided matching funds.

IV. Description A. Project data

What follows is a description of the Amiriya Madrasa noting some changes and alterations, as far as they could be detected from the available visual data. However, it is difficult to analyse a building that has been subject to several repairs at different scales and times now that the recent restoration is complete and the building covered with qudad plaster. From some angles everything looks original, while from others everything looks questionable.

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Exterior: The Amiriya Madrasa consists of built-up and open spaces. The madrasa proper, with its own interior courtyard, is located at the north. A front courtyard is situated on the south side of the building. It is not rectangular because there is an indentation at its southeast corner, providing direct entrance to the courtyard from ground level. A photograph taken by H. Burchardt in the early 1900s shows the remains of a partially collapsed wall running in the north–south direction and connecting to the main building at a point where the east porch meets the east tower. (The removed hotel building must have been located to the east of this collapsed wall.) To the south of the front courtyard is a second, smaller courtyard, connected at the southwest corner. The east wall of this second courtyard is also recessed, further reducing the size of the courtyard.

The building proper, without its courtyards, is a rectangle measuring 40 x 23 metres with its long side on the north–south axis. It consists of a ground and a main floor and two towers that mark symmetrical entrances at the southeast and southwest corners, each tower rising three storeys. The basement like ground floor has several clusters of barrel-vaulted spaces at its centre with smaller spaces at the perimeter that can be accessed only from the outside. There is a hammam at the southwest corner. The first floor consists of several rooms of different sizes and a masjid, encircled by semi-open galleries. The nature of the spaces is easily discernable from the elevations. At ground-floor level recessed arches house rectangular openings into the small perimeter spaces, which were probably shops. At first-floor level the galleries are defined by a series of arches, which rise from about 80 centimetres above floor level. All the rooms feature mashrabiyyas projecting from the windows. Important locations and spaces are marked by domes. The level of the pavement can be detected through the horizontal bond beams and the roof line by a projecting cornice topped by a continuous line of very ornate merlons. At ground-floor level the stone of the walls is exposed with bossed pointing, but the rest of the surfaces are plastered and all the surfaces are whitewashed.

The north façade faces in the qıbla direction. Five arched openings on the ground floor mark the shops, while four arched openings on the first-floor level relate to the gallery at the back of the mihrab wall. At the north end of each gallery are the mashrabiyyas of the domed corner rooms, and these rooms are also articulated with recessed rows of blind arches in three tiers. On the east façade at ground-floor level an entrance is set between groups of four shops on each side. At the south corner there is a smaller fifth door, squeezed into the corner of the east porch. The main floor is entered from the south corner of the east elevation via a flight of steps leading to the east porch. The west façade was originally similar to the east, but is now quite different because the corresponding stairs and porch on the west side are gone. Some of the shop spaces have also been absorbed into the interior accommodation at this level, so the shop fronts were converted to entrances. The northeast shop has two doors, one on each side, but this is not repeated at

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the northwest corner because a vertical conduit carrying water to the first floor is situated there. The east porch, at the top of the stairs, has arches on all sides; the east–west ones on the entrance axis being wider and higher than the north–south ones. The inner arch on the entrance axis opens to an entrance hall within a tower those projects from the southeast corner of the building. Two arches of the same nature lead to an open vestibule, which is set between the southeast tower and a corresponding tower projecting at the southwest corner. The entrance hall at the west has been walled-in to serve as a room. To the south, a continuous low wall with a built-in bench delimits the vestibule and two flights of steps lead to the front courtyard. The south wall of the main building has three doors, the central one accentuated by three rows of muqarnas over the opening and a chatri between the merlons at roof level. This forms the main façade of the building with a grand entrance.

First floor: The main floor has two nodes: an internal courtyard to the south and the six-domed masjid to the north. Each of these major plan elements is surrounded by accompanying semi-open and closed spaces. The courtyard has a riwaq (arcade) of slender monolithic columns, with long rooms to the east and west and a staircase leading to the roof at the southwest corner. On the north side the masjid is at the centre of the arrangement with its related spaces around it. The rooms to the east and the west of the courtyard are similar to each other with small variations. Each have four windows with mashrabiyas opening to the outside and four doors opening to the riwaq. Between the windows and doors are small niches, again four in number. Each room has a door opening at the north to the galleries around the masjid. The repetition of the openings, especially the doors, suggests that these spaces were originally planned to comprise four rooms but the partition walls were never built, with the exception of a division at the south end of the west room. Like the east and west galleries, these spaces are roofed with beams running in the east–west direction but their south ends are covered with domes. The masjid is encircled by galleries on all sides. The south riwaq of the courtyard is shared with the masjid as its north gallery. There are domed rooms at the north corners of the east and west galleries. Similar domes are repeated at the south corners of the galleries but they do not denote separate rooms. This arrangement creates an ambulatory around the masjid, accentuated by domed spaces at the corners. The arched openings on all sides rise above a wall about 80 centimetres high, lined with a bench on which to sit and enjoy the view. In the north gallery there is an octagonal pool with running water that can be used for ablution, fed by water through a partially open channel from the northwest corner room, where a conduit at the south corner carries water from ground level. The conduit was originally embedded in a rectangular indentation and was not visible but during the restoration it was opened and is now visible, although the terracotta pipes are missing. The pool drains to the space underneath it. A photograph taken during restoration shows that the east side of the gallery had been partitioned to form a room. The north riwaq is given particular emphasis as the entrance hall to the masjid, with a coffered stucco decoration on the ceiling. The masjid is a transversely placed rectangular space divided into six units by two rectangular pillars. It can be entered by several doors from

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the galleries surrounding it – three to the south, two each to the east and west galleries, and two more, one on each side of the projecting mihrab niche, on the north side. A small cupboard is placed on each of the wall sections between the doors and photographs taken before the restoration show that these had plain wood wings. Stilted and slightly horseshoe-shaped four-centred pointed arches connect the walls and the pillars. The domes have quite high drums- incorporating the transition zones. Squinches rise from the walls and arches to form the transition to the six domes. The octagon created by the squinches is extended in height and the drums are also quite high. The domes have the same profile as the arches. Roof: The building originally had a staircase to the roof but the present one at the southwest corner does not seem to be the original one because the plaster at the south corner of the wall continues inside the stairwell, indicating that it was built later. The present staircase is built around a square core with entrance to the first and second-level rooms of the west tower from two landings. The roof has a number of different levels, all of which are lined with crenellations. The spaces spanned with beams have flat ceilings whereas domed spaces have low drums around them. Along the east and west lengths of the building three domes rise over the flat roof. All the domes have a finial of some sort. The domes over the masjid are stone with slightly profiled bodies. The plan of the masjid rises about 3 metres above the roof as a rectangular platform, reaching about 4 metres at the top of the crenellations. A double tier of alabaster windows is set in this platform, those of the lower tier being round with truncated lower sides, and those of the upper tier being arched and interspersed with blind arched recesses to form a row of arches. Each dome has a low exterior drum and there is a narrow corridor between the domes and the crenellations. The door of the two interconnected upper spaces of the east tower opens to the roof. The space over the porch is domed. A Burchardt photo shows a stubby minaret over the east tower, which was certainly a later addition. There are two missing merlons over the north wall of the space, near the west side. The break is large enough to accommodate a timber ladder used to climb to the minaret. The chatri that crowns the south façade is at the centre of the south row of crenellations. There is a small baldaquin to the north-east of the dome of the east room. Its position in relation to the parapet wall and the merlons, the treatment of its cornice, and its encroachment on the dome all indicate that it is a later addition. One likely possibility is that it was constructed to serve as a minaret after the former one collapsed. It seems that the towers at the southeast and southwest corners originally had spaces only on the first floor. This is suggested by the fact that the merlons of the roof continue around the towers at the first-floor roof level. The forms of the merlons are the same as those used elsewhere and the walls of the second-storey rooms facing the south open porch have been built by incorporating the merlons. The merlons are not present on the walls on the other sides of the towers and the east porch, which means that the upper rooms were constructed after these merlons collapsed at an unknown date. Apparently the three floors in the west tower were constructed for a second time after the collapse of the west porch. The original

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volumetric articulation, in compliance with the importance of spaces, would not have allowed any secondary spaces to be as high or higher than the more important spaces. At the present, however, the towers are higher than the rooms on the main floor and the dome of the east porch is as high as the domes of the masjid. Ground floor: The ground floor is entered through a vaulted iwan underneath the landing of the double stairs of the veranda. There are two other entrances on the east and west façades at the two extremes of an east–west corridor running across the entire floor. There are roughly three clusters of spaces, all of which are intersected by a corridor running north–south. The first group comprises two interconnected vaulted spaces to the east and the hammam opening to them from the west. The second group consists of five barrel-vaulted spaces running east–west. Shops at the ends of these spaces were originally divided off from them but have now, in some cases, been incorporated back into the interior. This group of spaces ends with the east–west corridor. The final group has at its core a rectangular space with two rectangular pillars of unequal sizes, which are directly underneath the pillars of the masjid but much larger in size, acting as their foundation. This space has three doors onto the east–west corridor and is ventilated through slit openings with wood bars in the party walls with the shops on its east and west sides. The core is surrounded by shops on all the exterior sides, three each on the east and west sides and five on the north side. The shop in the middle of the north side, lying directly underneath the pool on the first floor, is reduced in size and has a cross plan because of the drainage of the pool. The hammam at the southwest corner of the ground floor is a large rectangular space entered from both the exterior and the interior. The interior entrance, which is definitely original, is an arched opening with decorated quadad panels on its north wall. Two identical rows of cubicles are located along the south and north walls with partitions of about 1.40 metres high. A water channel runs in the east–west direction above and along all these walls, with a spout opening into each cubicle. Water enters the hammam through two slit openings on its west wall, just above the level of the channel and runs until the east wall of the space. Dr al-Radi has identified these spaces as showers with hot and cold rooms along the sides, as well as an ablution area.

The wall surface between the channel and the beamed ceiling is covered with decorated panels. On each long side, two columns, on the line of the inner walls of the cubicles, divide the span into four. The columns are of different shapes and sizes with decorated capitals. There is another channel at ground level, which was apparently filled with water at all times. This also circulates to all the spaces through openings in the walls, in the same manner as the higher water channel. Each cubicle has three levels. The first is level with the corridor that links the cubicles. There is then a step down onto a platform with a slit in the middle of it. The third level is that of the ground level channel, in which the water is collected. This channel has a drainage hole at the southeast corner of the south row of cubicles. The construction joints on the ground floor, as well as certain irregularities, differences in the thickness of the walls, and the remains of undefined walls excavated outside the south end of the west wall, all indicate that parts of older structures were incorporated into the building during construction. The west door of the hammam on the ground floor is certainly a later

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one, judging from the layers of qudad. It is likely that this door was opened up after the west porch had collapsed leaving the west wall of the hammam clear.

Courtyards: Stairs lead down from the veranda to the front courtyard, which is dominated by a large, shallow cistern or pool. Because the ground slopes to the southwest differing numbers of steps descend into the cistern from each side – two on the south, three on the east, and five on the north. The east steps are flush with the east wall of the courtyard; there is a narrow platform on the south wall, and quite a wide, stone-paved platform in front of the stairs at the north. The pool is farthest away from the west wall and from this wall a narrow corridor leads to the second courtyard. A row of cubicles is situated on the west side of the pool. These must have been added later because they sit on the west wall of the cistern. They are not ablution spaces but toilets, as can be judged from the very wide openings on the west wall for collecting the dried excretion. In 2001 there were remains of domes covering them, which also suggests that they were toilets. The ablution area, with a row of faucets and small seats in front of each faucet, was on the west wall.

The northeast side of the courtyard has undergone several alterations and additions, which are rather difficult to interpret. The indentation on the east wall was made in order to accommodate a wide entrance to the building from ground level. The opening has been blocked and its present two-colour stone frame seems to be of a later date than the original structure. The section of the wall between the entrance and the east porch is made of coursed cut-stone masonry, whereas the rest of the walls are constructed with more roughly shaped stones with qudad pointing. The opening to the second courtyard was blocked until 2001 and was opened during restoration. Its walls are used by buildings abutting them from the exterior; some openings and construction joints indicate to several interventions. There is also an entrance from the exterior to this second courtyard on its east wall. Its wall is lower than those of the first courtyard. There are two buildings inside the courtyard. One is a row of cubicles running in the east–west direction near the party wall with the first courtyard, with walls rising about 80 centimetres from the stone pavement. It is hard to judge when these were constructed without seeing what they were like before restoration. However, from comparisons with the hammams of several other madrasas and mosques, it seems that their location might be that of the original hammam of the Amiriya Madrasa because toilets were generally located as far as possible from the main accommodation to avoid unpleasant smells.

Near the south wall of the courtyard is a rectangular building with a flat roof and windows with round arches but no door. Inside, its walls are plastered and there is a water outlet with a raised stone underneath it on its west wall. The sills of the windows are about 1.4 metres above the level of the courtyard. This curious building perhaps served as a reservoir for distribution of the city water, constructed more recently than the original building and abandoned at an unspecified time.

Decoration: Both structural and applied decorations are extensively used in the Amiriya Madrasa. All the domes on the main floor except those of the masjid are lobed. The two corner rooms at the

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north side have circular lobes and the rest have faceted lobes, the plan of the domes being a polygon with folded sides. Other structural decorations include the tall and ornate merlons, the muqarnas projection over the main south entrance, and the tiers of recessed blind arcades on the north façade. Applied decoration includes carved gypsum plaster, carved qudad plaster and tempera paint, as well as the carved decoration of the doors and mashrabiyyas. An exhaustive variation of geometric, floral and calligraphic designs is used throughout.

The most ornate space is the masjid, which represents a climax of the type of decoration developed in Rasulid and Tahirid madrasas. Calligraphic bands of carved gypsum plaster run over openings and arches, delineating the structural elements as well as accentuating the importance of the spaces. A carved band also appears on the more important walls of the galleries, underneath the domes beside the walls of the masjid. Other floral and geometric designs decorate the mihrab, the intrados of the arches that carry the domes, and the intrados of the domes of the rooms at the north corners. A particular cast and carved decoration is used in the coffers of the north riwaq. Tempera painting on the intrados of the arches, squinches and domes of the masjid are the decorative highlight of the Amiriya Madrasa. The designs, utilizing a very wide range of patterns in basic colours, are said to be influenced by Indian textiles. Qudad decoration is used both outside and inside – for the geometric interlace at the south side of the east elevation, the panels on the sides of the stairs leading to the front courtyard, and the various panels and individual figures around the platform on which the domes of the masjid sit, especially on the north side marking the mihrab. The decoration of the hammam on the ground floor is very fine and varied and is said to be unique in its quality and location.

Carved wood decoration appears on doors. Usually the exterior is more ornate than the interior. At present, only the doors of the masjid are original. The present mashrabiyyas are copies of an original. Alterations and additions: Two features particularly indicate that there have been many interventions in the building, both small and large in nature: the profile of the arches and the merlons. The arch profiles are pointed, sometimes two-centred and sometimes four-centred, sometimes stilted and sometimes horseshoe. Within each category no two arches are similar. Some variations may be the result of minor deformations or of loss of sharpness of profile because of the large number of quadad layers, or simply of mediocre workmanship of the quadad. But the arches of the Amiriya Madrasa display a much wider range of variations. Among the two-centred pointed profiles, the arch over the ground-floor entrance has a high lancet profile. The arches of the small wall niches on the ground floor are similar to this one. The arches of the shop entrances and the gallery openings to the outside are all a little different from each other, some of them stilted. The keystones of the rows of arches do not align horizontally as would usually be the case. Photographs of the madrasa before restoration show that the merlons too display a large variety, especially around the interior courtyard and the domes. Their height, thickness and form vary. A 1983 view of the north side of the courtyard documents four varieties alternating with each other, indicating small repairs at different times.

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Use and condition of the building before restoration: There is scarce information about the use of the building until the twentieth century. It was abandoned soon after the death of Sultan Amir when the Zaydi imams closed it down, believing the Amiriya prayer hall to be overdecorated and distracting for worshippers. We know that its funding from waqf sources was cut as well. Archaeological stratigraphy of the carved stucco decoration, where carpet bugs had settled, indicates a long period of abandonment.

The older sheikhs of Rada remember that the east rooms of the Amiriya Madrasa were used to chew qat (the leaves of a tree that, when chewed, produce a euphoric effect ) in the afternoons but the roof in this area caved in some time around the 1930s or 1940s and it was not used any more. When the master mason, Izzi Gas’a, was a child, the building was the only school in town and he remembers students who came from out of town sleeping in the schoolrooms. The school was used until 1970. The masjid continued to be used even after the restoration started. The local community had electricity installed and put glass panes in the windows, which were eventually broken. Squatters and poor people have lived in the madrasa, especially in the rooms on the ground floor. In recent times shopkeepers rented the ground-floor rooms for storage. New shops were built at the north end of the east wall. A mihrab was built on the corridor near the south entrance so that part of this space could be used as a masjid because it was warmer during the winter. This mihrab was torn down at the beginning of the restoration. The Amiriya was in a very poor physical condition before the restoration. Except for the west façade, all the façades had sagging, bulging, and cracks on the walls in different degrees, the north and east façades being the most severely damaged. In most of the spaces with flat ceilings, such as the north gallery and the top room of the east tower, the ceilings had partially or completely collapsed. The ground floor was badly treated by its users. The thickness of some walls had been reduced, some walls were taken down and people dug into the ground to make more storage space. The walls of the cistern in the front courtyard were cracked and water from it was leaking into the main square of the town. The walls of the hammam also had cracks.

The greatest and continuous cause of damage was the quadad, which had fallen off or cracked so that it was no longer waterproof. The long-established local habit of shooting at the building contributed to the breaking of the quadad. Missing doors and windows made the situation even worse. Water seeped into the building from the roof as well as the walls, weakening the bricks and reducing their structural reliability.

B. Evolution of design concepts

The extent of decoration, articulation of the superstructure, and variety of spaces in the Amiriya Madrasa are all greater than those of former madrasas in the area. This is particularly evident in the almost private quarters at the south of the building. Dr al-Radi thinks that this royal institution was meant to be used more as a palace than as a regular madrasa and this seems probable. It is the focal point of Rada and this is accentuated by the

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articulation of its volumes and their accentuation by crenellations. However, it was designed more as a private building than a public one. It is inwardly focused around the two courtyards and the view beyond. It probably formed a more meaningful whole when the now-missing private buildings to the west and south of it were standing. The pattern of circulation and the different size and quality of the spaces reflect the functions of a regular madrasa as well as the particular requirements arising from its use as a residence. This is also reflected in the clustering of the spaces on both floors, with common areas nearer the entrances and more specific spaces away from them.

The massing relates to two major factors: the span of a space – if it was wider than an ilb beam, the system had to revert to a dome; and the hierarchy of the spaces – regular spaces are covered with beams or barrel vaults whereas the more important spaces are marked with domes. Even among the domes themselves a hierarchy is evident in the height achieved by stilting and drums, their profile, lobing and decoration.

C. Structure, materials, technology

The Amiriya Madrasa is a masonry structure with vertical support provided by load-bearing stone or brick walls pierced with arched openings. One exception to this is the colonnade of the inner courtyard on the main floor, where slender columns of monolithic stone support the arches. These columns were reused from material brought over from India as ballast for ships and similar columns can be found in the madrasa in Juban, where they carry Indian motifs in their carved decoration. Spaces with flat ceilings are spanned by the trunks or large branches of the ilb tree, which is the most suitable local timber. The domes are constructed of brick. These two means of covering spaces are used side by side or even in the same space in many building types, as in the east and west galleries of the Amiriya Madrasa. As far as can be observed from before and progress photographs of the madrasa, there are no timber rings for compression around the domes nor are there any elements to bond the two adjacent structural systems. This is why the walls of the exterior galleries opened up, causing first the collapse of the beamed ceilings and then the collapse of the dome.

Restoration:

The restoration of the Amiriya has a well-defined philosophy behind it, developed by Dr al-Radi based on her own experience and observations in developing countries, especially Yemen, and on restorations with which she is familiar, done by foreign experts in other countries. Yemen still has many traditional craftsmen practising their old skills, and those skills that have been lost can be relearned by working back through the production process. As Yemen is one of the poorer countries in the world, the programme had to keep to a modest budget. Foreign experts are expensive and some of their materials are questionable, such as the uncontrollable use of cement, so other methods of restoration had to be considered. The natural outcome of these conditions was to use local materials and techniques and local rather than international talent, and this has been the guiding principle of the restoration process.

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The restoration will be discussed according to types of intervention rather than location within the building. Interventions progressed from the outside to the inside and in the interior several teams worked simultaneously on different parts.

Repair: Most of what has been done at the Amiriya Madrasa is simple repair of elements that were either partly missing or in very bad condition. This has included the repair of several walls, such as the walls of three consecutive barrel-vaulted spaces in the centre of the ground floor, which were partly rebuilt. The replacement of qudad on the roof, the complete removing and replastering of the interior gypsum plaster and the exterior qudad, and the filling of the window openings with sheets of alabaster all fall into the category of simple repairs made with the same materials and techniques found in the existing elements. These elements might date from the original construction period or belong to a later addition, as is the case with the top room of the east tower.

This category of work also includes changing of structural elements. For example, when the quadad on the roof was replaced, it became apparent that almost none of the beams retained its supporting capacity. New beams were made using the traditional timber material, ilb, and the trees were chosen, dried and cut to the right size and dimensions. The new roof has four layers. The bottom layer comprises the beams placed at intervals of about 40 centimetres. Young branches from tamarisk trees, cut to about 70 centimetres in length, were placed perpendicularly on top of the beams, forming a thick and compact layer to fill the gaps between the beams. The third layer was mud plaster with straw added for plasticity and this was used to level and seal off the roof. The topmost layer was the qudad to waterproof the roof. The roof had to dry over six months, including at least one rainy season, before the qudad could be applied because the plaster is inflexible and would crack if the materials it is was in contact with were not completely dry or if the structure were unstable.

Consolidation: One of first actions of the programme was to consolidate the foundations before intervening with the walls. A trench about 1.2 metres wide was dug alongside the north, east and west walls to check the condition of the foundations. After the foundations were repaired, the trench was dry-filled and packed with stones and diluted gypsum mortar (sabba) was poured over to bond the stones together. This type of low retaining wall (bughla) was a primary step before the consolidation of the walls. The condition of the east wall was so bad that the retaining wall had to be built first and the foundation consolidated later.

The east wall was strengthened by a technique known as ‘scucio-cucio’ – ‘unstitch-stitch’ – in restoration jargon, which involves working in very small sections. One stone is removed and the wall is supported by small props on the stones underneath. The infill and joints between are filled if necessary and the stone is reinserted in its place with new mortar. The space at the second level of the east tower had completely collapsed a long time ago and the wall here was consolidated before installing a new roof. On the entrance arch of the east porch the master mason chose to use a process of scucio-cucio in preference to complete dismantling. The arch was deformed and bulged to the sides. Cracks had developed on the walls and on the extrados of the arch. Another lower arch of

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stone was built within the existing arch to support it and the room above. The master mason started with the interior brick walls, which were four bricks thick, but when work began, the bricks proved to be unusable so the job became more a process of reconstruction without dismantling than one of stitching the wall back together with its own material. Throughout this process no shoring was used, only wedges and short props to support the parts above, which the master mason knew how to place so that they would carry the load.

The hammam in the second courtyard was treated as a case of archaeological consolidation. It was raised a few courses and consolidated to avoid further crumbling. Only a single layer of quadad was applied, because the restorers did not want to give the impression of a complete and finished work. Complete dismantling and reconstruction: The central section of the north wall had moved too far from the vertical to be stitched so it had to be taken down and reconstructed. An accurate survey of the façade was prepared to achieve a loyal reconstruction. The dismantled material was used as far as possible in the reconstruction but the majority of the bricks had to be changed because they had lost their strength. New bricks were made in Sana’a. The bond beams were repeated with new timbers, following the model of the original. Mud mortar and gypsum mortar were used alternatingly between the courses of stone. The wall was further strengthened by pouring diluted gypsum mortar to fill any possible cavities in the texture of the wall.

Reconstruction according to a model and subtle variations: Few examples of carpentry were still extant and in situ. Those that were formed models for similar elements throughout the building, as was the case with the mashrabiyyas of the windows. The coffered stucco ceiling of the north riwaq was taken down and reconstructed, inserting a few original pieces to show what they were like. Its missing centre was designed by the stucco master. Where doors were missing, new doors, modelled after those found elsewhere in the building, were designed. Some doors, like those of the corner rooms on the north side, are dated to show that they are new. The plain winged niches in the masjid were replaced with wings decorated with geometric designs. The merlons are all one type; the rosette in the middle of the upper part is an addition. This continues a process that has gone on for centuries, with masters working in different materials and parts of the building using their inspiration to complement subtly the extant rather than directly repeating it.

Shoring and formwork: Dr al-Rada notes that no shoring was used for the scucio-cucio process. Wedges and short vertical props of timber were used instead. This very old tradition may have developed due to a scarcity of timber. The arches of the galleries were filled during the intervention to provide shoring. The arches of the windows were repaired by filling them with masonry that reproduced the profile of the original. The arch could be constructed directly on this support.

Materials and techniques: The restoration of the Amiriya Madrasa revived the process of production of certain materials and techniques for the use of others. Qudad is a mixture of lime mortar and crushed volcanic aggregate, producing a hydraulic substance similar to pozzolanic cement. It is used as stucco and plaster on exterior surfaces for the purpose of waterproofing. Qudad mortar was used for

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many centuries but was abandoned after the introduction of cement and the master builders no longer knew how to produce it. A few of the older masons working on the Amiriya Madrasa vaguely remembered how to make qudad but could not remember the exact ratio of the ingredients, which was eventually found by trial and error. Some trials resulted in cracks that had to be repaired, but the long years of restoration also provided an opportunity for revising and perfecting the production and technique of application. Dr al-Radi published an article on the complete quadad experiment in 1987 in order to disseminate the information and qudad immediately began to be used in other restoration projects. For example, it was successfully used on Al-Abbas Mosque, also in Yemen, on the basis of the Amiriya restoration.

The production of the carved gypsum plaster was also revived. Selma al-Radi herself started to clean away the many layers of whitewash that covered the carved stucco of the building. (Although she has trained other people in this technique, she is still cleaning the plaster after eighteen years with ever greater precision.) Close contact with the material became a means to understand the technique of carving as well as the stages of production from beginning to end. This knowledge was used to experiment with the reproduction of a piece of the foundation inscription under the direction of the master Ali Abu al Futtuh al-Nasiri. Dr al-Radi published the process and results of this experiment in 2002.

Restoration of the wall paintings: The painted decoration in the masjid of the madrasa covers an area of approximately 600 square metres. The Italian Centro di Conservazione Archeologica in Rome is restoring the paintings and this process has been designed to serve simultaneously as an intensive and applied course in the conservation of wall paintings to train the Yemeni staff of the Yemeni Government Organization for Antiquities, Museums and Manuscripts (GOAMM). The dual-purpose programme was formulated in 1988 and revised for implementation in 1999–2000 but it could not start until 2003 and is to be finished by the end of 2004. A comprehensive report on this programme has been prepared, giving the curriculum of the course and elaborating on the problems, techniques and materials involved in the restoration of the paintings. A detailed budged is included.

The course is intended for six employees of GOAMM who are already trained in the conservation of painted wood as a result of a similar process used for the Al- Abbas Mosque project. Theoretical courses in Rome for two months were to be followed by implementation at Rada. The paintings were studied in order to choose the right technique and materials for the conservation. Careful study of the painted surfaces as well as several chemical analyses showed that a red paint was used to draw a perspective grid on wet plaster with a compass in preparation for the circular forms of the design. The red grid is easily visible underneath the final layer of paint and the compass marks are discernable in a raking light. The lines of the drawings were retouched and corrected with black paint at the final stage. The paintings were done in tempera using colours mixed with a binder, probably animal glue, applied on dry plaster. The composition of the colours was also identified through laboratory analysis: the yellow is yellow of tin and lead, the blue from azurite, and the red from red ochre with traces of cinnabar.

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The major cause of damage to the paintings has been earthquakes that have destabilized the structure, causing the plaster to detach and water to infiltrate from the domes and the windows on the drums. There are cracks in the structure and in the stratification of the plaster, with failures near the arches as well as detachment of various amounts of plaster from the support. Flaking, separation of the colour, washing away of paint, loss of the paint layer and abrasion and scratching were observed. The surface of the paint layer also showed dust deposits, cobwebs, mud deposits, soot, whitewash and bird droppings.

The methodological principles that have guided the implementation of the treatment are as follows: conservation in situ; conservation of the status quo, with respect for the conservation history of the surfaces; compatibility of materials and techniques with the original; and use of recognizable restoration treatments with full reversibility. The phases of treatment include cleaning, pre-consolidation of loose plaster fragments, consolidation of plaster layers to their support and between each other, stuccoing lacunae, retouching with watercolour and pastels, and final protection. The report gives details of a set of technical operations for the maintenance of the paintings. The budget for the restoration of the paintings totals USD 925,000, of which USD 75,000 is allotted to the course in Italy.

Building services, site utilities: Wet services are not yet planned as part of the project. The row of ablution fountains on the west wall of the front courtyard has been removed but not replaced with anything else. There are scaffoldings inside the hammam on the ground floor in preparation for structural interventions to the rooms of the west tower. The ablution and hammam activities may have been considered to take place outside the boundaries of the building. Their replacements may be combined with the facilities for visitors to the museum, who will mostly be tourists.

D. Origin of technology, materials, labour force, professionals

The interventions to the building, the decorations and the new facilities should be discussed as parts of a whole. Materials, techniques and construction technologies are all local and traditional and they have been revitalized by their use here. The local labour force is responsible for implementing these techniques. A large part of the brick and stone used came from expropriated buildings around the madrasa. New bricks were produced in Sana’a. Lime was bought as stone, burnt in a kiln near the building and slaked in basins especially prepared for this purpose. Local volcanic cinder and tufa were crushed for use in the qudad mix. Ready-made gypsum of the best quality was prepared by the master mason for the plaster of the carved stucco.

Dr al-Radi was responsible for the choice of professionals. She consciously chose Yemenis for everything that could be done locally and used foreign experts and expertise only when such expertise was not available locally, as was the case with the Italian painting restorers and the Dutch firm used to design the exhibition.

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V. Construction Schedule and Costs A. History of the project April 1982 Agreement between the Yemeni and Netherlands governments

1983 Yemeni funds were made available. The Awqaf dislodged squatters and paid compensation to shop owners. Compensation was also paid to the hotel, which GOAMM tore down.

1983–85 Jon Bjornson, architect, made plan and elevation drawings. 1983–88 The Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen in Amsterdam (KIT) was

responsible for administration. 1985 onwards The restoration was funded as part of cultural programme of the

government of the Netherlands under the consultancy of KIT. 1989–94 There is no budget for these years, indicating that restoration ceased at

this time. 1994–2004 The American Institute for Yemeni Studies was responsible for

administration.

In 1997 Dr Selma al-Radi published a book on the restoration of the Amiriya Madrasa, documenting what had been done until that date. The basic structural repair was finished by 1987, except for that of the west tower, which will be completed during 2004 by GOAMM. The exterior qudad, including the roof and the elevations, was finished in 1996. The book lists a number of elements that remained at that time to be done, including cleaning two-thirds of the carved stucco, restoring the wall paintings using foreign expertise, manufacturing new doors, windows and mashrabiyyas, and cleaning and whitewashing the interiors. The Reviewer visited the site three years ago, in April 2001, and at that stage the redone stucco coffered ceiling of the north riwaq of the inner courtyard – that is, the space in front of the entrance of the masjid – was being mounted. The qudad of the ground-floor pavement was almost finished and all the merlons were completed. The doors and windows were awaiting minor adjustments before being fixed into place. Cleaning of the stucco decoration was under way on the east and south walls of the masjid. By 2004 the doors of the masjid had had multiple layers of oil paint removed and had been restored. Work on the periphery walls of the front courtyard and the hammam to the west had been completed, including the crenellations. The passage to the second courtyard at the south had been opened and the remains of the walls of the row of hammam cubicles in the second courtyard had been raised but not made full height.

The restoration of the paintings was formulated as a project in 1988, revised in 1999 and started in 2003, to be completed in 2004. An exhibition on the restoration of the building has been designed and prepared by Architectbureau Jowa from Amsterdam. The exhibition panels have been shipped and are in their boxes in the madrasa, ready to be hung after the final cleaning of the ground-floor spaces.

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B. Total costs and main sources of financing

The project budget has two distinctly separate parts: one for the building and one for the wall paintings. The project is largely financed by the Dutch and Yemeni governments, with relatively small contributions from a few other bodies and persons. The total budget is USD 1,682,700. Of this USD 731,000 comes from the Dutch Government and USD 929,700 from the Yemeni Government. About USD 22,000 was donated by other contributors. There are a greater number of contributors to the restoration of the paintings. The World Bank through its Social Fund has contributed USD 286,300 – almost as much as the Dutch Government (USD 269,700) and Yemeni Government (USD 234,000). The other contributors are the Italian and US governments, with USD 100,000 and USD 25,000 respectively. The total budget amounts to USD 897,000, a little more than half of the repair budget. The total of both budgets is USD 2,679,000.

The Dutch Government has completed its commitments and is terminating its foreign aid programme to all countries, so after 2004 whatever remains to be finished will be carried out without any contribution from the Netherlands. The Yemeni budget utilizes World Bank funds through the Social Fund and this source may perhaps be used for the completion of the courtyards. The budget breakdown given by the project director is based on the total of the two budgets. However, the cost of the restoration of the paintings is about one-third of the whole budget and should not be considered a regular item in restorations. The cleaning of the carved stucco should also not be part of the repair costs. It should be noted that the cost of the exhibition is also included in the restoration budget. If the costs for just the building are considered, the largest slice is spent on labour, complying with one of the key principles of the restoration: to use local talent, materials and techniques.

C. Comparative costs

No comparative examples are available. It would be especially hard to compare the costs of this project with another because it has continued over eighteen years, during which inflation has been astronomical. The division of the budget into small instalments, as well as frequent delays by the donors, has not allowed for efficient programming or for buying materials at cheaper prices.

D. Qualitative analysis of costs

No such analysis is available or possible, for the reasons given above. The total area of the ground and first floor is 1,840 square metres. To this, roughly 50 square metres can be added for the rooms in the east and west towers, raising the total to 1,890 square metres. Since work on the two front courtyards is not yet finished, only the restored walls and merlons of the front courtyard as well as one set of hammam cubicles in each can be added to the total. As they are not covered spaces it is more suitable for the calculation to give half the area, which roughly amounts to 95 square metres (half of 190 square metres). This means that 1 square metre of restoration, including the very labour-intensive cleaning of the carved stucco, costs a

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little less than USD 850. When the restoration of the courtyards is finished the cost per square metre will be reduced.

E. Maintenance costs

No climate-control system is planned for any part of the building except the natural measures provided by the mashrabiyas, windows and doors. The building does not have any chimneys for stoves either in the original design or in the restoration.

F. Ongoing costs

It has been twenty-two years since the restoration started and it is still ongoing. In this extended period, maintenance has been carried out as necessary, as have small repairs. These include repairs to the quadad applied to the areas with flat roofs – that is, the east and west rooms on the first floor and the rooms of the east and west towers. Cracks develop at the interfaces between the two structural systems used side by side in the building – brick domes and wooden beams – due to the difference in their structural behaviour. The book published in 1997 on the Amiriya Madrasa refers to experiments with quadad and repairs to the flat roofs to resolve these problems.

Regular maintenance is a major concern and has already been planned, including the source of financing for such work. Since the building will be a museum under the control of GOAMM, the income of tickets sold to visitors will be put aside for the maintenance of the building, so the Amiriya will pay its own maintenance. It has already been agreed that a protocol be prepared on the use of the money for this specific purpose.

VI. Technical Assessment A. Functional assessment

The ground floor of the Amiriya will become a museum with a permanent display of photographs of the restoration. The panels (2.40 x 0.60 metres) have photographs and text in Arabic and English to explain the history and the techniques used to restore the qudad, stucco, woodwork and paintings. Emphasis is particularly placed on the use of traditional materials and techniques. The ground floor will also have a material display on qudad and the west room on the main floor will be devoted to plaster, with the experimental reproduction of the foundation inscription on display. The masjid will be illuminated to highlight the decoration, especially the paintings on the domes.

B. Climatic performance

The basic approach of using traditional materials and techniques in the restoration also underlies the attitude to modern means of climate control. No new means of climate control have been introduced. Electricity has been installed in all spaces, however. The display of the paintings and decoration in the masjid as well as the panels of the photographic exhibition on the ground floor are specially designed.

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C. Response to treatment of water and rainfall

Qudad is a perfect waterproofing material and has been renewed on all the exterior surfaces of the madrasa. In all countries affected by monsoons, torrential rains must be taken into account in the design process. In the case of Yemen, rains are the major source of water, collected in cisterns and used throughout the year, and roofs are designed so that water will drain from them as quickly as possible. Photographs of the Amiriya before restoration are not very informative on this issue. There is no sign of any gutters or spouts. However, in the restoration a careful sequence has been established for rainwater drainage, starting at the higher level of the domes. The rectangular platform on which the domes sit is encircled with a band of crenellations that prevent water from running down. To overcome this difficulty, slits have been opened at regular intervals at the foot of the merlons to allow water to drain. To control the flow, a gutter that is flush with the wall has been made in plaster on the surface of the wall. Over the beamed rooms and galleries, the quadad on the roof slopes towards the middle, whence it drains from spouts on the exterior walls. Gutters and waterspouts such as these are the traditional means of water drainage in any type of building in Yemen.

In the inner courtyard a slight slope directs water to the corner of the south riwaq, where it drains through a hole in the wall to the veranda. Water from the courtyard, as well as water that runs off the walls, drains through a hole in the east flight of steps leading down to the courtyard. All the original ground-level details were designed to lead water to the cistern that occupies almost the entire front courtyard. A hole at the base of the south wall of the cistern leads to a vaulted channel in the second courtyard running in the east–west direction, which apparently served the town and carried away floodwater.

D. Environmental response

The restoration of the Amiriya Madrasa did not include any factors to affect the balance of the natural environment.

E. Choice of materials and level of technology

Traditional materials and techniques have been used wherever possible but for some elements – for example, for the restoration of the tempera paintings – the safest and most developed Western methods were chosen. This very delicate balance was maintained throughout the restoration.

F. Response to and planning for emergency situations

The infrastructure project already implemented is expected to take care of surface drainage, including flooding.

G. Ageing and maintenance problems

Experienced labour is available for maintenance and a well-planned maintenance programme, complete with budget, has been prepared. Throughout the history of Yemen, monuments have

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been preserved by continuous use and maintenance. The Amiriya Madrasa was, for a very long time, used only partially and became derelict and forsaken. Once it becomes a museum and the masjid opens to worshippers again, it will be in constant use again and the maintenance programme and budget will be in place to deal with this.

H. Design features

Since nothing new has been introduced, the pre-existing harmony and integration of the building with the site has not been disturbed but enhanced.

I. Impact of the project on the site

The larger infrastructure project that was planned and financed by the Dutch Government gave Rada a major boost. Many pedestrian ways were paved with stone. Streets suitable only for pedestrian traffic were covered with bitumen and vehicular traffic has very much increased. The streets encircling the east, north and far west sides of the Amiriya Madrasa are of this kind. When the museum starts to function, a parking area for tourist vehicles has to be planned, as well as a proper system for garbage disposal.

J. Durability and long-term viability of the project

The restoration of the Amiriya Madrasa, besides being well planned and carefully executed, has benefited from its long duration. This has allowed the results of trials and experiments to be checked and rechecked and repairs and maintenance to follow as a natural part of the process.

K. Interior design and furnishing

The project so far includes only the built-in carpentry. The only addition will be panels for the exhibition on the ground floor. Special lighting has been planned for the exhibition and a lighting project has been undertaken for the masjid and specially chosen fixtures are ready to be mounted. Donations for carpets are expected for the masjid. The Review did not find any set policy for the use of the other spaces but many viable functions will doubtless come to the fore once the building starts to be used. For example, the ground floor has potential for several other uses besides the exhibition. When the shop spaces are rented they will restore vitality to the area.

VII. Users

The conservative nature and tribal social structure of this rather remote local town meant that its people were not ready to accept intervention to their major monument. In her book, Dr al-Radi relates several incidents arising from the opposition of the inhabitants, who even went so far as to imprison Dr al-Radi’s counterpart, İzzi Muhammad Muslih, at the citadel. Evacuation of the squatters and of the tenants and owners of the expropriated buildings also created problems. The local people showed their interest and concern for the building by

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closely observing what was being done, to the extent of forming an oppressive presence in critical parts of the building, which were threatened with imminent collapse. As the years passed a very good rapport has developed between Dr al-Radi and her team and the community. Over the course of the project more than 350 workers have earned their living from the Amiriya Madrasa and in many cases several generations from the same family have been employed.

Groups of local people, including women and children, constantly visit the building to see what is happening there. This interest is increased by the inhabitants’ new curiosity to see with their own eyes what the tourists are coming to see. Their interest will increase further when the building is opened with a grand formal ceremony in November 2004 and the museum becomes operational. Only as inhabitants of nearby villages and towns visit the building will the real issue of the continuation of culture come to the fore.

Professionals have been observing what is going on very carefully and have been using the results of the experience for years now in both government restorations and restorations by foreign institutions. Al-Abbas Mosque is an example of this. There is constant television and media coverage of the restoration project, both in Yemen and abroad. The BBC has made two films on it. Information on the monument and its restoration and discussion about what makes the Amiriya so special help the public to understand the complex nature of Yemeni culture in a broader context.

VIII. Project personnel

The client and Yemeni counterpart of the project is the Yemeni Government through GOAMM. Dr Selma al-Radi is the director of the project, representing the Dutch counterparts. In the first three years İzzi Muhammad Muslih and later Yahya al-Nasiri, both from GOAMM, have been her Yemeni counterparts. Exhibition lighting, design and execution: Architectbureau Jowa, Amsterdam; director, Jowa

Imre Kis-Jovak. Restoration of the wall paintings in the masjid: Centro di Conservazione Archeologica, Rome. Administration of the project 1983–88: The Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT),

Amsterdam. Administration of the project 1994–2004: American Institute for Yemeni Studies; directors,

Dr Nora Sadek 1996–97, Marta Coburn 1997–2000, and Dr Christopher Edens 2000–04.

Directors of GOAMM: Qadi Ismail al Aqwa’ 1983–88; Dr Yusuf Abdallah, since 1989. Local staff from the General Organization for Antiquities, Manuscripts and Museums:

Camillia Mohammad Ana’m, Abir Atef Radwan, Jamal Mohammad Thabet, Mohammad Abdel Wahab No’uman, Rashad al Qubati, Adel Said Mohammad, Ibrahim Ali Saad, Saleh Naji Utaif, Amin Saleh Mauri.

Site manager: Adnan Jamil Nu’man. Site overseer: Abd al Rahman Fadhl Allah. Stone master mason 1983–89: İzzi Mohammad Gas’a.

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Assistant stone mason: Ali Sa’ad. Masons: Abbdal Rizq, Mohammad İzzi Gas’a, Abdallah Dhafari. qudad masters: Mohammad Ali Sultan, Abdallah Sultan. Master carpenters: Abd al Razzaq al-Usta, Qassim Mohammad al-Usta. Stucco masters: Ali Hamud Abu al Futtuh al Nasiri, Mohammad Hamud Abu al Futuh al

Nasiri. Electricity: Mohammad Abd al Wali. Stucco cleaner: Mohammad Jarada.

Ayşıl Tükel Yavuz May 2004

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Bibliography Al Nasir, Yusuf, and Venetia Porter, ‘Appendix: The Inscriptions of the Prayer Hall’, in The Amiriya

in Rada, Selma al-Radi, Oxford, 1997, 203–6. al-Radi, Selma, ‘quadad, The Traditional Yemeni Plaster’, Yemen Update 34, Winter/Spring 1994, 6–

12. al-Radi, Selma, The Amiriya in Rada, Oxford, 1997. al-Radi, Selma, and Lamya Khalidi, ‘Shahr Rabi: The Amiriya Stucco Documentation Project, Rada’,

Yemen Update 44, 2002, 15–24. Barnes, Ruth, ‘The Painted Decoration: An Influence from Indian Textiles’, in The Amiriya in Rada,

Selma al-Radi, Oxford, 1997, 139–48. Daum, Werner (ed.), Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilization in Arabia Felix, Insburg, 1987. Finster, Barbara, ‘Survey Islamischer Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler im Yemen, Erster Vorlaufiger

Bericht’, Archäologische Berihte aus dem Yemen 1, 1982. Finster, Barbara, ‘The Architecture of the Rasulids’, in Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilization in

Arabia Felix, ed. Werner Daum, Insburg, 1987, 254–64. Hillenbrand, Robert, Islamic Architecture, New York, 1994. Keall, Edward, ‘Bringing the Dome to Yemen’, Rotunda, Fall 1986, 30–9. Lewcock, Ronald B., and G. R. Smith, ‘Three Medieval Mosques in the Yemen Part I’, Oriental Art

20:1, Spring 1974, 75–86. Lewcock, Ronald, ‘The Medieval Architecture of Yemen’, in Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and

Civilization in Arabia Felix, ed. Werner Daum, Insburg, 1987, 204–11. Porter, Venetia, ‘The Art of the Rasulids’, in Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilization in Arabia

Felix, ed. Werner Daum, Insburg, 1987, 232–64. Porter, Venetia, The History and Monuments of the Tahirid Dynasty of the Yemen, unpublished

doctorate thesis, School of Oriental Studies. Porter, Venetia, ‘The Architectural Decoration’, in The Amiriya in Rada, Selma al-Radi, Oxford,

1997, 113–38. Sadek, Noha, ‘The Painted Mosques of Yemen’, Bulletin of the Middle East Medievalists 9:2, October

1997, 32–34. Sadek, Noha, and Selma al-Radi, ‘The Painted Mosques of Yemen: A Preliminary Survey’, Berytus,

1999–2000, 59–77. Smith, G. Rex, ‘The Tahirid Sultans of the Yemen and Their Historian Ibn al-Dayba’, Journal of

Semitic Studies 29: 1, Spring 1984, 141–54. Sergeant, J. B., ‘Early Islamic and Medieval Trade and Commerce in Yemen’, in Yemen: 3000 Years

of Art and Civilization in Arabia Felix, ed. Werner Daum, Insburg, 1987, 167–73. Varanda, Fernando, Art of Building in Yemen, London, 1982. The exhibition of the restoration of the Amiriya Madrasa, prepared by Architectenbureau Jowa,

Amsterdam, 2003.

27

2004 AWARD CYCLE 2701 YEM

ARCHITECTS RECORD I IDENTIFICATION Project Title ‘Amiriya Madrasa or Madrasat al ‘Amiriya Street Address al Maydan City Rada’ Country Republic of Yemen II PERSONS RESPONSIBLE A. Architect/Planner Name Jan Bjornson 1983-1985 Cairo, address unknown Name Izzi Muslih 1983-1985 Archaeologist (Yemen Contribution Project Director) Name Yahya Nasiri 1985-present. Civil Engineer(Yemen Contribution Project Director) Address for both the above: General Organisation for Antiquities and Museums (GOAM)

Al Qasr Street, Sana’a. Tel:967-1-276763, Fax: 275379 Email: none Principle Designer Selma Al-Radi 1983-present. Archaeologist/Restorer (Director, Netherlands Contribution) Address: 29 Claremont Avenue, NY. NY 10027, USA Telephone/Fax: 212-8652697, or “ Le Bourg”, 47260 Granges sur Lot. France. Telephone: 05-53842549. Email: [email protected] , or selmix @wanadoo.fr, or [email protected] B. Client Name Government of Yemen as represented by GOAM Address: same as above

Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands Netherlands Embassy , Sana’a, Yemen. Tel: 967-1- 421800

C. Project Affiliates/Consultants ArchitectbureauJowa, architects and museum/exhibition designers. They designed the ground floor museum of the ‘Amiriya and the lighting for the building. Centro di Conservazione Archaeologica, Rome. Italy. Restoration of the wall paintings in the prayer hall, and the training of Yemeni restorers in that field. Tropen Instituut, Amsterdam ( administration of the project:1983-1988) American Institute for Yemeni Studies, Sana’a Yemen (administration of the project: 1996-2003) A list of the names of the master craftsmen, specialized workers, craftsmen and laborers is attached.

III. TIMETABLE A. Commission: Restoration of the ‘Amiriya Madrasa B. Design Commencement of Project:1983 Completion 2004

Construction 1504 Commencement: month of Rabi’al Awal Completion date unknown, or (August-Sept1504) probably c. 1512

C. Occupancy: Used as a religious school for the past 500 years. During the 20th century it was used as a local school for boys; in the mid 1970’s government schools took over that function.

Remarks: Although the commencement date of the building of the ‘Amiriya is known (from the stucco inscription with date in the prayer hall), the date for its completion is not. Sultan ‘Amir who commissioned it, and after whom it is named, was killed in battle in 1517. It is known that he was very fond of his eponymous madrasa and used it whenever he was in Rada’. In fact, it probably acted as his residence in town; there are numerous private suites that would have housed him and his entourage. IV AREAS AND SURFACES A. Total Site Area 40x23 metres for each of the three floors B Ground Floor Area 40x23 metres = 920 sq.m C Total Combined Area Ground Floor, First Floor, and Second Floor V. ECONOMICS A. Total Initial Budget Local Currency US Dollars Date Netherlands Budget YR 500,000 100,000 1983-1988 661,000 1996-2002 70,000 2003-2004 Yemeni Budget YR 4,20,000 62,000 1983-1997

4,000,000 29,700 1998-1999 100,000,000 658,000 2000-2002 30,000,000 180,000 2003

Painting Conservation Budget Yemeni Government 234,000 2002-2004 Dutch Government 269,700 2002-2004 Social Fund for Development (World Bank) 268,300 2002-2004 Italian Government 100,000 2002-2004 U.S. Government 25,000 2002-2004

Total Restoration and Conservation Budget 2,657,700 B. Cost of Land Awqaf property – therefore no cost C. Analysis of Actual Costs

1. Infrastructure $ 216,300 2. Labour $1,390,800 3. Materials $ 619,900 4. Landscaping $ 0 5. Professional Fees $ 151,900 6. Other $ 278,800

D. Total Actual Costs: $2,657,700 E. Actual Cost (per.sq.meter): $2,889 / sq. meter Remarks It is virtually impossible to calculate what the actual cost is per square meter in a restoration project like the ‘Amiriya – depending on the state of preservation, every square meter can have a different cost. Over the 18 years that its has taken to complete this project, inflation has been astronomical, and if, as often happens, the budget is delayed by the donors, the expenses mount. Only a very rough average can be deduced from the total, but it means very little.

IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The project began when Al-Radi went on a visit to Rada’, saw the ‘Amiriya Madrasa, and realised the architectural and historical significance of the building. It was in an advanced state of decay with the north and/or east walls in danger of imminent collapse; it required urgent restoration. During the following six months, Al-Radi discussed the importance of saving this building with the Yemeni authorities. The obvious choice of a foreign donor was the Netherlands Government as they were already doing the development of Rada’, working on the town’s infrastructure. The argument used was both simple and obvious - “ If you provide a town with water, sewage, electricity and roads, why not restore its major cultural monument”. The Dutch Ambassador agreed, but only on the basis that it would become a bilateral project with Yemen involved – i.e., two complementary budgets , one Yemeni and the other Dutch. Within the next six months the paper work was done and an agreement to restore the ‘Amiriya was signed in April 1982 by both governments. The Netherlands Government, through its Technical Aid Ministry, would cover the costs of all the structural repairs and the prayer hall, while Yemen, represented by GOAM, would cover the rebuilding of the roof as well as all the internal and external qudad (a water proofing mortar similar to the Roman pozzolano). The Ministry of Awqaf, responsible for all religious buildings, was to pay for indemnities and the re-housing of the “‘Amiriya squatters”, and for the removal of the houses adjacent to the ‘Amiriya – they paid for the former but reneged on the latter. The removal of the adjacent houses was essential as they were responsible for the advanced state of disrepair on the east side of the ‘Amiriya – two or three centuries of their filth (everything was flung out of the window) and sewage had caused the east façade to buckle and sag. In 2003, the project received a special grant from the Presidential Office to cover the costs of buying new houses for the families that had to be relocated. Actual work began in November 1982. During the period between the signing and beginning of work, Al-Radi and Izzi Muslih , the representative of GOAM, set up the project, and found a master stonemason – the master of all masters, Izzi Gasa’a, who was willing to undertake the restoration (for further details see Al-Radi, The ‘Amiriya in Rada’, Chapter 9). Restoring and consolidating the external walls was the first task. In the case of the north wall it was largely a rebuilding process as the wall had detached itself from the rest of the building – it was connected by one rotten roof beam only! The interior walls of the ground floor were in an appalling condition; the poorest of the poor had squatted there for centuries, keeping close company with the rats and mice of Rada’. Every crevice in the walls was stuffed with rubbish. In fact, the ground floor had also been used as the town dump for many centuries. The reconstruction process consisted of taking out stone by stone, cleaning the interior spaces and re- mortaring the joints; this is the traditional way of repairing walls in situ - very time consuming but effective. When necessary, an opening was left in the upper reaches of a section through which could be poured a watery gypsum mortar. This would trickle through places that were unreachable and further consolidate the wall in question. It is always advisable to have workmen positioned strategically so as to stop the solution from leaking out from an unseen crack! The qudad water-proofing mortar on the roof was badly cracked and letting in the rain; it had to be completely redone. On removing the qudad, we discovered that almost every beam had rotted. The hardwood used, (‘ilb), was still grown locally, and even the correct sized beams (6 meters long) were available. We chose the trees, cut them down in the right season, and dried them the correct length of time as required by tradition. All these stages are essential if the beam is to harden properly or else it will not survive for centuries. Qudad, a water-proofing mortar made from a mix of quick lime and volcanic cinders, that coats and protects the whole building from the monsoon rains, was done after the walls were repaired. Qudad is very slow and labour-intensive work, and is plastered on the surface, layer upon layer. The first layer or two are pounded into the interstices between the bricks or stones until it adheres properly; a thinner solution is smeared on the external facades of the walls, and polished. Polishing, which is done using smooth riverine stones, can take months to complete - it is “done” only when no hairline cracks appear on the finished surface. When doing large expanses there could be as many as sixty workers polishing at any given time. Periodic checks are necessary for at least six month, and if any cracks appear polishing has to restart. It took one year of polishing before the qudad on the ground floor was deemed ready - in an indoor space drying takes that much longer.

When the structure of the building was secured, the interior plasters were stripped off the wall - the old plasters were “dead” ( local terminology). A new mud and straw plaster was put on. The electrical grid and wiring (in pipes) was then installed for the whole of the ‘Amiriya and plastered over with a thick gypsum plaster. The ‘Amiriya is white on the outside and on the inside – the interior and exterior walls are covered in plaster – the interior with a gyspum plaster, the exterior with qudad. Where necessary, the carved stucco decorations of the domes were repaired by stucco-master, Ali Abu Al Futtuh Nasiri. He also reconstructed the coffered stucco ceiling in front of the prayer hall, copying and stenciling (on thick paper) from the fragments and designs that were still intact. Moulds were then made and cast in plaster. This took six months. Mounting and plastering the individual sections on the ceiling itself took another six months. The carved stucco paneling (660 sq.m) in the prayer hall which includes the royal titles and the dedicatory inscription, had become buried under centuries of gypsum and lime washes. Cleaning the stucco became the responsibility of Al-Radi and Mohammad Jarada (an apt worker whom Al-Radi trained)– no one else had the patience for this work. Cleaning buried stucco from 500 years worth of splashed washes, was a painstaking, time consuming and arduous task. This whitewashing had so completely covered the original surfaces that it was often difficult to see the patterns underneath. The top layers had to be very carefully removed with surgical scalpels. Once the original surface was reached, the tools changed. The deeply carved (5 cms.) stucco motifs and letters were cleaned with pottery design tools – they proved to be the best for this task. The 6000 square metres of tempera wall paintings that cover the domes and upper walls of the prayer hall were put on as the last stage of the ‘Amiriya - painted after the stucco was carved - there are red and black drops of paint on the original surface of the stucco. The paintings are still in fairly good condition with colors that are still vibrant (Painting Motifs Album; Chapter 6). The motifs show many borrowings from Indian shawls and textile patterns. This is not surprising since the Tahirids were responsible for the Indian Ocean trade routes, and transshipped everything through Rada’. Indian influence is also evident in the architecture of the ‘Amiriya itself (Chapter 5). The paintings will be cleaned and consolidated in the year 2003 by CCA of Roma. The ground floor of the ‘Amiriya will be turned into a museum with a permanent exhibition on display. Photographic panels will show before and after depictions of all the restoration techniques used in the ‘Amiriya. Sixteen panels, each 2.40m long by 0.60 wide, will portray the various stages of the work. Designed by ArchitectbureauJowa and Al-Radi, they show the ‘Amiriya as it emerges from a dilapidated state to the finished product. Arabic and English texts explain the images shown which include the history of the building, restoration techniques, qudad, stucco cleaning, woodwork, and the paintings. Qudad, rightly, gets the most coverage - even Yemenis do not understand what it is. Two showcases, built into two already existing niches, will display the tools of that trade, while large baskets on the floor will contain the basic ingredients for its making – quick lime and volcanic cinders. V. MATERIALS, STRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION. The ‘Amiriya Madrasa is built of roughly faceted limestone (Ground Floor) and baked brick (First and Second Floors). The mortar used is a mud and straw plaster, common in traditional Yemeni buildings. The walls of the ground floor are over one meter thick – the piers that carry the prayer hall on the first floor are also impressively large. Throughout the whole building are strategically places wooden beams ( headers and stretchers) that help to support and stabilize the weight of the building. Rada’ lies within an earthquake zone - the Red Sea Fault line. When a 6.5 earthquake hit the area in 1983, the ‘Amiriya swayed massively from side to side. Nothing fell, and no new cracks appeared. The entire work force was on the roof clearing up debris and everyone thought they were at deaths’ door! The project had barely begun - it seemed like a good omen for the future. The interior walls are plastered with a mud and straw plaster covered with a second gypsum plaster. The exterior walls of the building are covered with a layer, 4-5cms. thick, of qudad (like icing on a cake) – a lime and volcanic plaster which protects and water-proofs the whole. This is necessary as Rada’ in within the monsoon belt and the rains can be ferocious. The major part of the building was constructed in one go, probably using many master masons and workers – Sultan ‘Amir was extremely wealthy (his family controlled the Indian Ocean Trade routes and the port of Aden) and he lavished money on his eponymous monument. The earlier section of the building in the Hammam on the ground floor which includes what must be the oldest shower in the world (see Chapter 4, 52, Fig.16, Rooms 2-3, and pp.66-67, Fig.32). The north wall of the hammam is not bonded to the rest of the building, and is at a slightly askew angle from the rest of the building.

The design of the building is fairly symmetrical and well balanced (see Plans in Ch.4, pp.52-55). However, when comparable walls are measured they are of different widths. The royal inscription in the prayer hall gives the date of the commencement of the building as the month of Rabi’ al Awwal, 910 AH which corresponds to August/September of the year 1504. Sultan ‘Amir died in 1517, and it is known that he used the ‘Amiriya during his lifetime. In fact, it appears to have been used as his residence during visits to Rada’. No other madrasa in Yemen has private suites, or reception rooms (Rooms 41-43). In fact, Suite 42- 43 on the roof was probably used as a majlis – it has the grandest mashrabiya in Yemen. There is even a little shelter/lookout for a guard just outside the suite. The architecture of the building appears to be closer to that of a palace than a public space such as a madrasa (it is referred to as ‘madrasa adhima ‘(a grand madrasa) in the dedicatory inscription in the prayer hall, and by his court historian, Ibn Al Dayba’). The building was abandoned soon after his death, closed down by the Zaydi Imams that ruled the Yemen after the Tahirids. They were very puritanical and thought that the ‘Amiriya prayer hall was over-decorated and liable to distract the worshipper from his prayers. The “archaeological” stratigraphy in the carved stucco paneling of the prayer hall provides the same evidence - an abandoned place with broken windows, woolen carpets left in place, and wind blown sand and dust infiltrating into every crevice. Every bit of stucco carving is full of wind deposited dust and millions of desiccated corpses of carpet bugs (they were identified as such by experts in the Natural History Museum in London).They came into the prayer hall to east the wool in the carpets and inhabited and infested every hole in the stucco. When disturbed by the cleaning process they float out in a cloud, as if still alive! In recent times, the local community put in modern glass panes in the windows, but they also broke. The project ordered new roundels of alabaster, each according to the size needed – each window differs slightly from the other. They are ready, and in storage; they will be fitted into place when the restoration of the prayer hall has been complete (end 2003). The ‘Amiriya probably took about ten years to build and complete – this would have been feasible with a large work force working simultaneously on different aspects of the building. The paintings were last. There is no official date for the completion of the ‘Amiriya. Materials. Rough cut stone, baked bricks, gypsum plaster and mud plaster for the walls; refined gypsum plaster for repairing the carved stucco panels; ‘ilb roof timbers; ‘ilb wood for the carpentry – doors, mashrabiyas, museum counter and show cases; museum panels and photos; alabaster for the roundels; quick lime and volcanic cinders for qudad; restoration materials and chemicals to consolidate the tempera wall paintings. Electrical piping and wiring for the whole building with a control panel connected to the main line, light fixtures, spot lights for external as well as internal use) – all were purchased locally. Special lighting fixtures for the prayer hall and the museum panels were imported from the Netherlands.

VIII. PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT The ‘Amiriya was the first restoration project undertaken in the Yemen. It was also the first restoration project that used only traditional and local building methods. Any other way would have been exorbitantly costly and beyond the means available for a poor country like Yemen. Using traditional methods also meant that only local master builders and workers materials need be used; they were readily available. All the traditional aspects of the building crafts were still alive in Yemen. The only thing that had to be worked out was how to “reverse” or rather “reinterpret” traditional building techniques for the purposes of restoration. That became the constant topic of conversation between Al-Radi and Izzi Gasa’a, the master mason – back and forth, until every problem or hitch was worked out to the satisfaction of both – he was the final judge of what was the best method. He was old and sick (probably with tuberculosis) when he took on the project, and his wish was to complete the most difficult tasks before he died. He succeeded in doing that, completing the rebuilding of the eastern portico – probably the most dangerous and difficult of his tasks. At the most difficult point in that rebuilding , he left the keystone of the main arch out and went home! ( Slide No.7). All the people of Rada’ were horrified but, he laughed and told them to come back in the morning. All night the arch was held up by one wooden wedge. A mass of people were waiting for him to come the next morning, and when he slipped the keystone into place a massive cheer went up. He died shortly after he completed the restoration of the portico, knowing that he had saved the building - he always said that the ‘Amiriya would take both of us straight to heaven, and that he would be waiting to greet me there. His wisdom, knowledge of the art of building, and good temper carried us over major hurdles and difficulties – he was the perfect man for the job. His son took over the task after his death. The one problem that the project encountered using traditional methods was the loss of knowledge on how to make qudad, the traditional Yemeni water-proofing mortar made from a mix of quick lime and an aggregate such as volcanic cinders. It is similar to a mortar used by the Romans “pozoalano” to water-proof baths, cisterns etc. This Roman mortar dates from about the 1st century BC – in Yemen it dates back to at least the 8th century BC, and may even go back into the Second Millennium BC. Qudad had been virtually abandoned with the advent of cement in the 1950’s. The project reinvented the technique by using the memory of workers who had worked in this trade when young. Their memories were often faulty and inaccurate - in both the quantities and ratios of each of the materials, for the various types of mixture, and even the time required for each stage of the work – all essential items for the success and durability of qudad. After many trials and errors, qudad was brought back to life (Ch.9, pp.191-195). This pioneering work was picked up by other projects, and qudad has since been used in restoring a few of the grandest of Sana’a houses, as well as on other major monuments in Yemen. However, qudad is so labour intensive, time consuming, and expensive that it was only ever used on major royal monuments and endowed mosques/madarasa – rarely on ordinary houses. The constant television and media coverage (especially in Yemen, but the BBC also made two films) that the ‘Amiriya has been given throughout the many years that it has taken to complete the restoration, meant that people became aware of it. “Why the ‘Amiriya first? – why is it so special?”, are the questions most frequently asked. A little talk on its historical background, the unique nature of its architectural “mix and match”, of local styles combined with elements borrowed from across the Indian Ocean, the extraordinary wall paintings and superb stucco carvings, helps to make people aware of the importance of looking at historical buildings. Local awareness of the aesthetics of architecture has had a slow awakening in Yemen. They may have been the greatest vernacular builders, inventing a myriad of local styles, but recognizing or being aware of this extraordinary architectural talent and/or its legacy is not common among Yemenis. They now prefer to build in the so-called modern style using concrete with a stone façade. Arched windows and a few traditional decorations on the external facades transform it into “Yemeni architecture”; its usually a hideous mess. This may slowly change through the medium of print and television. It is through the media that everybody knows the ‘Amiriya! It started a trend, if albeit a slow one, towards a more open appreciation of their architectural heritage and the necessity of preserving it. Local television crews go around the country and film Yemen’s architectural heritage, informing people about their history. Numerous restoration projects have followed the example of the ‘Amiriya; GOAM, the agency responsible for ancient/historic monuments in Yemen yearly increases its budget for that line. This means that many more monuments and the different building styles found in Yemen will have a better chance of survival. This rich architectural heritage was created over centuries; a mix of many influences – local and from around the littoral of the Indian Ocean - have gone into the making of it.

Every village created its own style. However, each of these styles recognizably fits into the category of “Yemeni Architecture”. However individual a style is for each area, it is always distinctively Yemeni. The same holds true for the Islamic monumental architecture of Yemen. The style is distinctly Yemeni even though elements from Egypt, Syria and especially India can be found within it – one would never take the ‘Amiriya for an Indian building even though it has borrowed profusely from that subcontinent – the ‘Amiriya if distinctly Yemeni. Probably, the most lasting legacy of the ‘Amiriya Project will be the professionals and the teams of workers that have been trained on site. They will be able to help disperse the information they have learnt to future projects. Ninety of the best of the specialized workers in traditional restoration skills from the ‘Amiriya (out of 350 who have worked over the years) will, by a presidential decree, be declared the “Restoration Team” for the Republic of Yemen. These specialized workers have perfected their skills over a period of some twenty years; Yemen cannot afford to lose them. In turn, this team will train others. The traditional building and restoration skills of Yemen will not die out. The restorers and conservators from CCA will also train at least six Yemeni professionals in the techniques of consolidating, cleaning and preserving tempera wall paintings – they already know how to conserve paintings on wooden coffered ceilings. At last count, there are at least forty-six mosques and madrasas in Yemen ( dating from the 9th to the 17th century) with painted wooden ceilings or domes. All of them require restoration and consolidation. The team will be kept busy for years to come. Dr. Selma Al-Radi Director, ‘Amiriya Restoration Project Rada’/Sana’a. 31 March, 2003

II. C. Project Affiliates/Consultants ArchitectbureauJowa, Prinsengracht 526, 1017 K J Amsterdam. The Netherlands. Telephone: 31-20-6244380; Fax: 31-21-6246469; e-mail: [email protected] Director: Jowa Imre Kis-Jovak. Interior designers: exhibitions, museums, offices, and private houses. Designers for the lighting in the ‘Amiriya, as well as the panels for the museum exhibition on the ground floor. Centro di Conservazione Archaeologica, Convento di San Nicola, 02020 Belmonte in Sabina. Rieti. Italy. 19, Via del Gambero, 00187 Rome. Telephone: 0039-0765-77145. Director: Roberto Nardi. Expertise in restoration of wall-paintings, mosaics, and archaeological sites. Responsible for the restoration of the wall-paintings in the prayer hall in the ‘Amiriya The Tropen Institute (KIT), Mauritskade 63, 1092 AD Amsterdam. The Netherlands. Telephone (Home): 31-2159-46953. Director for the Near East, Dr. Carel van Leeuwen (retired). Administration of the ‘Amiriya Project 1983-1988 American Institute for Yemeni Studies, P O Box 2658, Sana’a. Republic of Yemen. Telephone: 967-1-278816; Fax: 967-1-285071. Administration of the Amiriya Project 1994-2004. Directors: Dr. Noha Sadek, 1996-1997; Marta Coburn, 1997-2000: Dr. Christopher Edens, 2000-2004. Directors of GOAM: Qadi Ismail al Aqwa’, 1983-1988; Dr. Yusuf Abdallah. 1989-2003. LOCAL STAFF: General Organisation for Antiquities and Museum Camillia Mohammad Ana’m; Abir Atef Radwan; Jamal Mohammad Thabet; Mohammad Abdel Wahab No’uman; Rashad al Qubati; Adel Said Mohammad; Ibrahim Ali Saad; Saleh Naji Utaif; Amin Saleh Al Mauri. LOCAL PERSONNEL Site manager: Adnan Jamil Nu’man Site Overseer: Abd al Rahman Fadhl Allah Master masons, and masons: Izzi Mohammad Gas’a: Master Stonemason . 1983-1989d. Abdallah Rizq, Mohammad Izzi Gas’a, Abdallah al Dhafari. Ali Sa’ad – Assistant Stonemason Qudad masters: Mohammad Ali Sultan, Abdallah Sultan Master Carpenters: Abd al Razzaq al-Usta, Qassim Mohammad al-Usta Stucco Masters: Ali Hamud Abu al Futtuh al Nasiri, Mohammad Hamud Abu al Futtuh al Nasiri Electricity: Mohammad Abd al Wali Stucco Cleaner: Mohammad Jarada More than 350 workers (all are from Rada’) have worked on the ‘Amiriya since 1983. Some have passed away, others have left town and been replaced by a younger generation, but a good number of them have been with the project from its inception. All their names are listed on one of the panels in the ‘Amiriya Museum – another panel is a mosaic of their photographs - they will not be forgotten. The restoration of the ‘Amiriya would not happened but for the interest (personal and financial) shown by the President of Yemen, Col. Ali Abdallah Saleh. The indefatigable Dr.Abd al Karim al-Iryani, Foreign Minister, Prime Minister, and presently Special Advisor to the President, was the project’s “godfather” and benefactor. His interest kept us going. His frequent visits kept us in the limelight. The ‘Amiriya owes its present existence to them; without them it would have fallen.

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

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Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

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Acc No: S144768VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144774VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144777VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Acc No: S144781VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144784VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144793VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144794VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144798VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144806VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

Acc No: S144867VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144876VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Acc No: S144877VM Title:Date: 15.04.2001Photographer: GERMEN MuratCopyright: YTechnical Infos:Notes:CD/Location: - / VM Link: P002701 Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

1 D005367 Showcases in room 5B Architectenbureau Jowa A4 Y2 D005368 Showcases in room 5B Architectenbureau Jowa A4 Y3 D005369 Showcases in room 5B Architectenbureau Jowa A4 Y4 D005370 Showcases in room 5B Architectenbureau A4 Y5 D005371 6-domed prayer hall A3 Y6 D005372 Lighting plan Architectenbureau Jowa A3 Y7 D005373 Amiriya Museum, room 7 Architectenbureau Jowa A3 Y8 D005374 Amiriya Museum, room 6 Architectenbureau Jowa A3 Y9 D005375 Amiriya Museum, room 5B Architectenbureau Jowa A3 Y

10 D005376 Amiriya Museum, room 5A Architectenburea Jowa A3 Y11 D006397 Amiriya Museum, room 4 Architectenbureau Jowa A3 Y12 D006398 Amiriya Museum, room 2 Architectenbureau Jowa A3 Y13 D006399 Y14 D006400 Y15 D006401 Y16 D006402 Y17 R011918 Painting motif; prayer hall 01.01.2004 21x29.5 Y18 R011919 Painting motif; prayer hall 21x29.5 Y19 R011920 Dome 6; prayer hall 01.01.2004 21x29.5 Y20 R011921 Dome 4; prayer hall 01.01.2004 21x29.5 Y21 R011922 Painted arch; prayer hall 01.01.2004 21x29.5 Y22 R011923 Blind niche squinch; dome 1 01.01.2004 21x29.5 Y23 R011924 East facade, pre-restoration 01.01.2004 Bjornson 21.26.5 Y24 R011925 Stuco partially cleaned, prayer hall 01.01.1985 Al-Radi Selma 17x25 Y25 R011926 Eastern portico 01.01.1984 Jolyon Leslie 17.5x24 Y26 R011927 East facade "debris of ages" 01.01.1983 Bjornson 20x25 Y27 R013060 Stuco cleaned, prayer hall 01.01.1985 Al-Radi Selma 17x25 Y28 R013061 Buried Stuco, prayer hall 01.01.1984 Al-Radi Selma 17x25 Y29 R013062 Shower stalls in hammam 01.01.1984 Bjornson Jan 17x25 Y30 R013063 Buried Stuco, prayer hall Bjornson 17x25 Y31 R013064 On-site kiln for burning lime 01.01.2001 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y32 R013065 Unloading the (quick) lime 01.01.2001 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y33 R013066 Mixing white lime with volcanic cinders 01.01.1983 Al-Radi Selma 9x13 Y34 R013067 Lining the base of a dome with qudad 01.01.2000 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y35 R013068 Beginning the qudad layers on the roof 01.01.1985 AL-Redi Selma 9x13 Y36 R013069 Putting the qudad, outdoor ablution area 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y37 R013070 Ablution area qudad almost finished 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y38 R013071 Polishing the qudad, eastern portico 01.01.2002 AL-Radi Selma 10x15 Y39 R013072 Polishing qudad, northern aisle 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y40 R013073 Polishing qudad around new doors 01.01.2000 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y41 R013074 Installing one of the new mashrabiyas 01.01.2000 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y42 R013075 Original doors, courtyard 01.01.1997 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y43 R013076 New doors, eastern portico 01.01.2000 AL-Radi Selma 10x15 Y44 R013077 Door leading into the mosque 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y45 R013078 Door to the mosque after cleaning 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y46 R013079 Inscribed panels above mosque doors 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y47 R013080 Inscribed panels above mosque doors 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y48 R013081 Installed new door, west side 01.01.2000 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y49 R013082 Installed new door, east side 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y50 R013083 Prayer hall 01.01.2000 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

51 R013084 Prayer hall, stucco band 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y52 R013085 Prayer hall, mirhab 01.01.2003 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y53 R013086 Prayer hall, mihrab 01.01.2003 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y54 R013087 Prayer hall, 2 people cleaning stucco 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y55 R013088 Prayer hall, painted stucco above mihrab 01.01.2003 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y56 R013089 Repairing stucco 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y57 R013090 Repairing stucco 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y58 R013091 Repairing stucco 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y59 R013092 Repairing stucco 01.01.2002 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y60 R013093 Restoring the carved stucco ceiling 01.01.2001 AL-Radi Selma 10x15 Y61 R013094 Restored carved stucco ceilling 01.01.2001 Al-Radi Selma 10x15 Y62 R013095 24x36 Y63 R013096 24x36 Y64 R013097 View from above Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y65 R013098 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y66 R013099 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y67 R013100 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y68 R013101 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y69 R013102 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y70 R013103 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y71 R013104 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y72 R013105 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y73 R013106 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y74 R013107 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y75 R013108 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y76 R013109 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y77 R013110 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y78 R013111 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y79 R013112 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y80 R013113 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y81 R013114 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y82 R013115 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y83 R013116 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y84 R013117 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y85 R013118 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y86 R013119 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y87 R013120 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y88 R013121 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y89 R013122 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y90 R013123 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y91 R013124 Painting motifs Al-Redi Selma 10x15 Y92 S144635 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y93 S144636 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y94 S144637 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y95 S144638 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y96 S144639 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y97 S144640 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y98 S144641 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y99 S144642 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y

100 S144643 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

101 S144644 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y102 S144645 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y103 S144646 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y104 S144647 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y105 S144648 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y106 S144649 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y107 S144650 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y108 S144651 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y109 S144652 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y110 S144653 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y111 S144654 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y112 S144655 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y113 S144656 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y114 S144657 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y115 S144658 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y116 S144659 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y117 S144660 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y118 S144661 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y119 S144662 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y120 S144663 Interior, domes 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y121 S144664 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y122 S144665 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y123 S144666 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y124 S144667 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y125 S144668 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y126 S144669 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y127 S144670 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y128 S144671 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y129 S144672 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y130 S144673 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y131 S144674 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y132 S144675 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y133 S144676 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y134 S144677 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y135 S144678 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y136 S144679 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y137 S144680 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y138 S144681 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y139 S144682 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y140 S144683 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y141 S144684 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y142 S144685 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y143 S144686 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y144 S144687 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y145 S144688 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y146 S144689 Riwaq/courtyard 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y147 S144690 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y148 S144691 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y149 S144692 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y150 S144693 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

151 S144694 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y152 S144695 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y153 S144696 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y154 S144697 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y155 S144698 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y156 S144699 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y157 S144700 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y158 S144701 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y159 S144702 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y160 S144703 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y161 S144704 Rooftop view 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y162 S144705 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y163 S144706 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y164 S144707 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y165 S144708 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y166 S144709 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y167 S144710 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y168 S144711 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y169 S144712 Dome, room flanking ablution area 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y170 S144713 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y171 S144714 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y172 S144715 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y173 S144716 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y174 S144717 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y175 S144718 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y176 S144719 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y177 S144720 Southern entrance 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y178 S144721 Mihrab wall 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y179 S144722 Mihrab wall 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y180 S144723 Mihrab wall 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y181 S144724 Mihrab wall 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 6x8 Y182 S144725 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y183 S144726 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y184 S144727 CT00186 IMG0091 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y185 S144728 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y186 S144729 CT00186 IMG0090 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y187 S144730 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y188 S144731 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y189 S144732 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y190 S144733 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y191 S144734 CT00186 IMG0092 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y192 S144735 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y193 S144736 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y194 S144737 CT00186 IMG0097 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y195 S144738 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y196 S144739 CT00186 IMG0096 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y197 S144740 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y198 S144741 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y199 S144742 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y200 S144743 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

201 S144744 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y202 S144745 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y203 S144746 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y204 S144747 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y205 S144748 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y206 S144749 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y207 S144750 CT00186 IMG0101 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y208 S144751 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y209 S144752 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y210 S144753 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y211 S144754 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y212 S144755 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y213 S144756 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y214 S144757 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y215 S144758 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y216 S144759 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y217 S144760 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y218 S144761 CT00186 IMG0103 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y219 S144762 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y220 S144763 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y221 S144764 CT00186 IMG0102 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y222 S144765 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y223 S144766 CT00186 IMG0087 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y224 S144767 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y225 S144768 CT00186 IMG0099 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y226 S144769 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y227 S144770 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y228 S144771 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y229 S144772 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y230 S144773 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y231 S144774 CT00186 IMG0098 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y232 S144775 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y233 S144776 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y234 S144777 CT00186 IMG0095 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y235 S144778 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y236 S144779 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y237 S144780 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y238 S144781 CT00186 IMG0088 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y239 S144782 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y240 S144783 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y241 S144784 CT00186 IMG0093 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y242 S144785 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y243 S144786 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y244 S144787 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y245 S144788 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y246 S144789 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y247 S144790 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y248 S144791 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y249 S144792 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y250 S144793 CT00186 IMG0104 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

251 S144794 CT00186 IMG0085 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y252 S144795 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y253 S144796 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y254 S144797 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y255 S144798 CT00186 IMG0100 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y256 S144799 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y257 S144800 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y258 S144801 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y259 S144802 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y260 S144803 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y261 S144804 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y262 S144805 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y263 S144806 CT00186 IMG0086 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y264 S144807 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y265 S144808 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y266 S144809 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y267 S144810 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y268 S144811 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y269 S144812 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y270 S144813 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y271 S144814 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y272 S144815 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y273 S144816 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y274 S144817 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y275 S144818 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y276 S144819 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y277 S144820 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y278 S144821 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y279 S144822 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y280 S144823 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y281 S144824 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y282 S144825 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y283 S144826 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y284 S144827 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y285 S144828 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y286 S144829 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y287 S144830 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y288 S144831 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y289 S144832 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y290 S144833 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y291 S144834 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y292 S144835 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y293 S144836 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y294 S144837 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y295 S144838 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y296 S144839 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y297 S144840 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y298 S144841 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y299 S144842 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y300 S144843 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

301 S144844 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y302 S144845 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y303 S144846 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y304 S144847 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y305 S144848 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y306 S144849 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y307 S144850 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y308 S144851 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y309 S144852 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y310 S144853 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y311 S144854 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y312 S144855 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y313 S144856 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y314 S144857 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y315 S144858 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y316 S144859 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y317 S144860 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y318 S144861 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y319 S144862 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y320 S144863 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y321 S144864 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y322 S144865 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y323 S144866 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y324 S144867 CT00186 IMG0089 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y325 S144868 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y326 S144869 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y327 S144870 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y328 S144871 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y329 S144872 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y330 S144873 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y331 S144874 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y332 S144875 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y333 S144876 CT00186 IMG0094 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y334 S144877 CT00150 IMG0044 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y335 S144878 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y336 S144879 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y337 S144880 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y338 S144881 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y339 S144882 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y340 S144883 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y341 S144884 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y342 S144885 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y343 S144886 15.04.2001 GERMEN Murat 24x36 Y344 S220286 Plan of the ground floor Bjornson 24x36 Y345 S220287 Plan of the ground floor Bjornson 24x36 Y346 S220288 Ground floor, "museum" 01.01.2001 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y347 S220289 Southern facade 01.01.1994 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y348 S220290 Central Courtyard 01.01.1986 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y349 S220291 Courtyard, northern gallery 01.01.1986 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y350 S220292 Prayer hall, mihrab, pre-cleaning 01.01.1985 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

351 S220293 Prayer hall, scaffolding 01.01.2004 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y352 S220294 Prayer hall, dome 4 01.01.2004 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y353 S220295 woman cleaning paintings 01.01.1998 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y354 S220296 Prayer hall, dome5 01.01.1997 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y355 S220297 View from the North-East 01.01.1993 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y356 S220298 view from the North-East 01.01.1983 Haddou Rosalind 24x36 Y357 S220299 West facade, pre restoration 01.01.1984 Hadddou Rosalind 24x36 Y358 S220300 East facade 01.01.1983 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y359 S220301 Rebuilding East facade 01.01.1983 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y360 S220302 Rebuilt East facade 01.01.1997 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y361 S220303 East portico, pre-restoration 01.01.1983 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y362 S220304 East portico, during restoration 01.01.1984 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y363 S220305 East facade, pre-restoration 01.01.1983 Haddou Rosalind 24x36 Y364 S223284 North-West facades, during restoration 01.01.1986 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y365 S223285 West facade, complete 01.01.1993 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y366 S223286 Qudad on the roof 01.01.1986 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y367 S223287 Qudad, polishing, room 40 01.01.2003 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y368 S223288 Qudad, polishing, roof, dome 01.01.1999 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y369 S223289 Carpentry, installation in court 01.01.2004 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y370 S223290 Carpentry, mashrabiya 01.01.1997 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y371 S223291 Mashrabiya in situ 01.01.1997 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y372 S223292 Stucco bands, prayer hall 01.01.1996 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y373 S223293 Cleaning stucco, prayer hall 01.01.2004 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y374 S223294 Partially cleaned stucco 01.01.2001 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y375 S223295 Some workers 01.01.2004 Al-Radi Selma 24x36 Y376 S223384 24x36 Y377 S223385 24x36 Y378 S223386 24x36 Y379 S223387 24x36 Y380 S223388 24x36 Y381 S223389 24x36 Y382 S223390 24x36 Y383 S223391 24x36 Y384 S223392 24x36 Y385 S223393 24x36 Y386 S223394 24x36 Y387 S223395 24x36 Y388 S223396 24x36 Y389 S223397 24x36 Y390 S223398 24x36 Y391 S223399 24x36 Y392 S223400 24x36 Y393 S223401 24x36 Y394 S223402 24x36 Y395 S223403 24x36 Y396 S223404 24x36 Y397 S223405 24x36 Y398 S223406 24x36 Y399 S223407 24x36 Y400 S223408 24x36 Y

Al Amiriyyah Mosque ComplexRada, Yemen

List of Visual Materials

Al Amiriyyah Mosque Complex, Rada, Yemen

No VM Num CD Id IMG Ord VM Title Date Photographer Format Copyright

401 S223409 24x36 Y402 S223410 24x36 Y403 S223411 24x36 Y404 S223412 24x36 Y405 S223413 24x36 Y406 S223414 24x36 Y407 S223415 24x36 Y408 S223416 24x36 Y409 S223417 24x36 Y410 S223418 24x36 Y411 S223419 24x36 Y412 S223420 24x36 Y413 S223421 24x36 Y414 S223422 24x36 Y415 S223423 24x36 Y