Sidi Yahya Mosque | |
---|---|
جامع سيدي يحيى Mosquée Sidi Yahya | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Location | |
Location | Timbuktu, Tombouctou, Mali |
Geographic coordinates | 16°46′20″N 3°00′26″W / 16.77224°N 3.00713°W |
Architecture | |
Style | Sudano-Sahelian |
Completed | 1440 |
Specifications | |
Minaret(s) | 1 |
Materials | Banco, Ronnier wood |
The Sidi Yahya Mosque (Arabic: جامع سيدي يحيى; French: Mosquée Sidi Yahya), also known as the Mosque of Muhammad-n-Allah,[2][3] is a mosque and madrasa of Timbuktu in Mali. The construction of the mosque began in 1400 under the leadership of Sheikh el-Mokhtar Hamalla of Timbuktu and was finished in 1440.[4][5]
The mosque was named after its first imam, Sidi Yahya al-Tadelsi.[2] It is part of the University of Timbuktu, which includes the madrasas of Sidi Yahya, Djinguereber and Sankore. The mosque is a typical example of earthen Sudano-Sahelian architecture but also exhibits distinctive forms of plan and ornament. Parts of the Mosque of Sidi Yahya were destroyed by Ansar Dine jihadists on 2 July 2012, following the Battle of Gao.[6] These elements were later reconstructed under the direction of UNESCO team.[6]