YEMEN: International Agha Khan award for restoration of ancient Al-Ameriya School in Rada

Yemen received an Agha Khan International award on Sunday (September 2) for its preservation of Islamic architecture and heritage. The prize went to the restoration of the Sixteenth Century of al-Ameriya school, located in the Yemeni town of Rada, known for its architecture and history. The award, which was given to the Yemeni minister of culture in a ceremony in Malaysia, is a prize for maintaining 'global heritage'. The three-storey al-Ameriya school is seen as on of the earliest examples of Sixteenth Century architecture in Yemen. Built in 1512, al-Ameriya was a scientific and religious school which attracted students from across the Arab and Muslim world. It also consisted of accommodation for the students, along with a prayer hall and a bath house. Now the building consists of a museum, detailing the history of the site and a prayer room. Many who visit the school say that its designs and sophistication have made it into an architectural masterpiece. In the early 1980s, the Sixteenth Century school was in desperate need for restoration. This led to an agreement between Yemen and the Netherlands to restore the building and share the costs. Over the years, many donors, namely Italy, have contributed to the restoration work. According to locals, the restoration work took 22 years to complete. ''From the outside it was collapsing completely, those who saw it then would not believe how it looks now, it has returned to the way it was", Ahmed Abdul Mahdi said, one of the workers at the school. In 2004, Yemen won an Agha Khan award for its renovation of the al-Abbas mosque in Sanaa. The Agha Khan award was established by the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, the Agha Khan, in 1977 as a way to encourage awareness, preservation and development of Islamic sites.

ITN Source | September 3, 2007

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