Restoration of Amiriya Madrasa Rada, Yemen

2007 On Site Review Report 2701.YEM by Salma Samar Damluji

Conservator Selma Al-Radi

Client General Organization of Antiquities, Museums & Manuscripts

Design 1983 - 2002

Completed 2005

Restoration of Amiriya Madrasa Rada, Yemen

Preface

This project was shortlisted for the 2004 Award cycle and a comprehensive report was prepared by Aysil Tükel Yavuz.

The earlier report details the project works and methodology from inception to its near completion in 2004. It covers the history of the late-sixteenth-century Tahirid building, giving a concise reading of the historic context. The report also gives a lengthy and detailed description of the spaces and original use of this unusual building, a madrasa with an attached small prayer hall and two courtyards (pp. 4- 10), as well as its use and condition prior to restoration. The elaborate painted surfaces found in the prayer hall and the extensive carved stucco work, seem to indicate that this building was designed as a private royal residence rather than a mere madrasa or a public edifice. The restoration is discussed, with particular attention paid to the repairs and consolidation that constituted the most important phase of the early works (pp. 12-15). A description of the wall paintings is then followed with the origins of technology, materials and labour (pp. 15-16).

The building was officially opened in September 2005.

This report discusses the current status of the building and highlights additional issues and information where needed to update the 2004 report.

I. Introduction

The Amiriya Madrasa is the largest known monument of the Tahirid period, and is exceptional in terms of architectural design. The Tahirids’ short rule (1454-1517) followed that of the Rasulids, who were Turkomen in origin, and they worked in the same architectural tradition, constructing mosques and madrasas that represent some of the richest, more complex or formal Islamic styles found in the architecture of Yemen. Restoration of the building was funded by the Dutch and Yemeni governments, with the General Organisation for Archaeology and Museums (GOAM) as client. The works spanned over two decades from 1983 to 2005. The restored wall and dome paintings cover an area of nearly 600 square metres, principally in the prayer hall. This restoration was a separately funded phase of the project, undertaken by an Italian team from the Centro Conservazione Archeologica in Rome (during 2003-2005).

The building’s layout is unusual in that the facade is aligned east-west, with the qibla orientation to the north forming the narrower end. A central entrance leads from the south directly to the ground-floor area. Outside this entrance is a large enclosed courtyard with a pool. A separate entrance leads directly to the first floor from a flight of stairs and a portal facing east. The building occupies two main floors; on the third level, above the west and east towers, are private rooms that were used by the Sultan. The madrasa’s closed spaces extend to the east and west, while an arcade surrounds the internal courtyard and main prayer hall to the north. The prayer hall has six domes supported by load-bearing walls and two central

1 columns. The interior walls and domes are heavily ornamented, with a vivid selection of geometric and floral patterns, calligraphic inscriptions and stucco work (an entire book has been dedicated to this catalogue of artwork).

The courtyard takes up the south section of the first floor. On the north side of the building is a terrace with an attractive octagonal pool, located to the west of the qibla wall.

Gardens have recently been added to the front and back of the building. They are enclosed by a low wall with merlons that delineates the site from the street around it. At present the building’s setting forms an almost open island, ringed by roads to the north, east and west.

II. Current Condition of Building

The main structural works are complete. The restored walls on the interior and exterior have been rendered with nurah and quadad respectively, and timber window screens have been replaced. The doors and paintings in the prayer hall have been cleaned and restored, along with decorative plaster work throughout the building (except for the southwest room and western tower).

The southwest hammam has been cleaned up, but is not yet restored or functional. This room contains some interesting stucco work that is also awaiting restoration. (In a sense this area, being incomplete, has a character of its own, providing a genuine record of the building’s historic architectural fabric. However, this does not fit with the intentions of the project or its director, who would like to see this area restored in order for the building’s restoration to be considered complete and functional.)

Scaffolding is still up around the exterior southwest tower, and work on its stripped interior walls is at a standstill. Other lesser works that remain to be done are listed below.

It was explained that there are two reasons for the work being incomplete: First, the works initiated by the Ministry of Culture proved to be inferior in quality and had to be redone (southwest tower). Or, more likely, this work was never completed properly in the first place (see section in earlier report on ‘Building services, site utilities’, p.16). The second issue, more pertinent to this review, is that since opening the project has been deprived of funding by GOAM and the Ministry of Culture. The Project Director, Yahya al Nasiri, explained that (as of the date of this review) the project has still not been allocated an operational budget to cover administrative running costs, the hiring of new staff, maintenance, electricity, diesel and irrigation. The funds required for completing the building works have also been withheld. In addition, registered staff has not been paid since January 2007.

There are 81 technical employees on the Amiriya payroll, including master builders specialising in quadad and lime plaster work. Their skills are not being put to use on the site.

2 III. Construction Schedule and Costs

A. Cost of completing the restoration

(For costs to up to 2004 see earlier report p.17.) An additional budget of 24 million Yemeni riyals was allocated to the project in August 2004. This was to cover the costs of works required on the western gate and tower, additional quadad works, the landscaping of the west and east gardens, and preparations for the official opening ceremony.

The works required immediately to complete the restoration are outlined below. The Project Director estimated that a sum of 40-60 million riyals (c. USD 300,000) would be required to fund these works, and that they would take around a year to complete.

1. Restore internal hammam cubicles and western room

2. Complete repair of the internal walls, stucco work and timberwork in the western gateway and tower

3. Complete quadad plaster works in the roof areas and floors

4. Repair and maintain the stucco work in the prayer hall and replace electric spotlight system

5. Document decorative patterns in three domes

6. Restore exterior hammams and pool

7. Complete external works, including gates to the main sur (defensive wall), guard’s room, landscaping and electrical works

Additional works, deemed less urgent, are also required to ‘rehabilitate’ the building and restore its previous function as a madrasa and prayer hall. This second phase of work will require an additional budget to compensate the owners of the buildings (known as Abu al Rijal) attached to the southwest wall. These buildings will be demolished to make way for new ablution facilities, modern bathrooms and water tanks – a ground tank for recycling grey water to irrigate the west and east gardens, and a raised tank to feed the ablution hammams and toilet facilities.

Another important aspect of this secondary stage is the diversion of undesirable heavy traffic. The new road scheme will also require funds to compensate building owners on the eastern, northern and western boundaries of the site.

B. Maintenance costs

No budget has been allocated for maintenance costs. Some quadad plaster work is necessary outside the south entrance retaining wall, and this seemed to be underway. But we saw no one working while we were there, and the materials were left by the pool by the south entrance.

C. Ongoing costs

In the absence of an allocated budget from GOAM, it has not been possible to establish an entry fee, hire staff to man the entry, and open the madrasa on a daily basis as previously planned. An important source of income has been lost.

III. Technical Assessment

A. Functional assessment

The ground floor is set up for use as a museum or gallery and an instructive and appealing exhibition has been installed. The exhibition tells the story of the project, documenting the history of the building and tracing the restoration process with before and after photos as well as details of materials used and a full list of the builders involved. These panels take up the entire attractive vaulted floor space, except for the hammam. A separate entrance for the public is set up near the northeast front. The shop cubicles on the exterior facade are not rented out (as suggested in the previous report, p.21), or in use.

The first-floor room along the west facade is designated as a workshop for plaster and gypsum. Currently it is a storage room for some of the reproduced panels, and contains an interesting collection of carved works and samples of replicated inscriptions taken from the building or from trials carried out during restoration.

Quadad and all the plaster render of the building have weathered well, as one would expect from a material that lasts for decades.

B. Response to treatment of water

The attractive pool at the front (south-facing) and the first-floor pool behind the prayer hall on the north terrace were not in use due to the outstanding works.

C. Impact of the project on the site

The building is like a jewel or an iced cake that forms a focal entry point to the town. Dressed all in white, it stands out in stark contrast to its surrounds. Unfortunately, the surrounding urban fabric, like that of many important Yemeni towns, is incongruous and fragmented. Some of the finer vernacular mud brick architecture of Rada clearly corresponds sympathetically to the Amiriya, but is now in a dilapidated or ill-maintained state. The mediocre modern interventions across the street from the site do not help either.

D. Durability and long-term viability of project

On the completion of the remaining works – and of the minor quadad and plaster work and the repairs to the western tower in particular – the project will prove its long-term viability as a monument worthy of restoration and a resource for future generations to look at, study and learn from.

4 E. Interior design and furnishings

There is no interior furnishing apart from a counter placed at the northeast visitor entrance. This is bulky and hardly complements the interior, but it can be ignored. The original school room at the eastern side of the building would benefit from some textiles (carpets and cushions) to warm up the room and allow it to be used as a majlis, or reception area, until its function as a madrasa is restored. No other furniture is required in the short term for visitors to the building.

IV. Users

Everyone in Yemen, and most of all the people of Rada, are enchanted with the restoration of this building. The local inhabitants believe it has provided them with an asset, a source of revenue and livelihood. However, visits by tourists tend to be brief. There are no local services for visitors and the site is a good two to three hours’ drive away from Sana. Local hotels and restaurants available in the vicinity tend to be of 2-star quality, so visitors usually pass through quickly rather than linger for a day or two, despite the wealth of monuments that can be visited in Rada (such as the Fort and the Bughdadidyah and Rabat Mosques, which are contemporaneous with the Amiriya).

V. Project Personnel

Please refer to the administrative personnel list in the previous report (p. 22).

The previous report lists 560 people who have been involved with this project since 1983. The full list provided by the project (in Arabic) is attached as an appendix to this report. The following people are highlighted for their significant contribution.

Official patron: Dr Abdul Karim Iryani

Administrative and technical staff: Dr Selma Al-Radi (Project Director 1983-1986 &1997-2005) Yahya Muhammad al Nasiri (General Director 1986 to present) Engineer Adnan Jamil Nu‘man (Site Manager)

Supervision and follow up: Qadi Ismail al Akwa (GOAM Director 1982-1989) Dr Yusuf Abdullah (GOAM Director 1989-2004)

Principal master builders and craftsmen: Structural and stone: Usta Muhammad al Qas‘ah (with assistants Salih al Basiry and Abdul Rahman Lutfallah) Stucco & plaster work: Usta Ali Hmud Abul Futuh, Muhammad Nasir Jaradah

5 VI. Bibliography

An extensive bibliography is found in the previous report (p. 27). To this should be added a recent publication on the Amiriya’s wall paintings, produced by the Italian Conservation Centre and ICCROM:

Al-Radi, S, Nardi, R and Zizola C., Amiriya Madrasa, The Conservation of the Mural Paintings, Rome, 2005.

Salma Samar Damluji April 2007

6 Elevations, 1983-1985

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Drawings, 1983-1985

6HFRQGÀRRUSODQ 5RRISODQ West facade and garden.

Overview of Rada original urban fabric from the madrasa, looking north to the fort. South view of the complex before restoration, 1983.

West facade after restoration. South facade before restoration, 1983.

South facade after restoration. Eastern portico before restoration, 1984.

View from the north-east after restoration. Interior view of the museum.

Close up of passage vault structure at the ground floor museum area. Hammam ablution cubicles on the south west corner of the building before restoration, 1984.

Cleaned hammam ablution cubicles. Courtyard preceding masjid on first floor.

West gallery and entrance to one of the original school room (currently stucco workshop). Stucco partially cleaned in the prayer hall, 1985.

Stucco frame in Masjid with the painted mural after restoration. Main prayer hall looking north with mihrab and arch soffits during restoration, 2004.

Main prayer hall looking north with mihrab and arch soffits after restoration. Exterior view of prayer hall area and domes at roof level looking south.

View of front garden from south-west.