Amiriya Madrasa

The Amiriya School

Al-Amiriya is a 16th-century madrasa (educational institution) located in Rada, Yemen. It is under consideration for inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site.[1] It was built in 1504 and is an example of the architecture of Tahirids, Yemen. The monument was in poor condition until 1978 when Iraqi-born archaeologist Selma Al-Radi saw it and enlisted financial help from foreign missions to restore it in a more than twenty-year effort which she led.[1][2]

Significance

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on July 8, 2002, in the Cultural category.[1]

The restoration process revived the art of qadad, a form of waterproof interior and exterior plastering. In 2004 a documentary film, Qudad, Re-inventing a Tradition, was made on the subject by the filmmaker Caterina Borelli (preview).[3]

Close-up of part of the restored Amiriya Complex, showing white qadad

The restoration of the Amiriya Complex was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2007.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Madrasa Amiriya of Rada - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  2. ↑ "Selma Al-Radi, Restored Historic Madrasa, Dies at 71" "New York Times", 14 Oct 2010
  3. ↑ "Qudad, Re-inventing a Tradition". Documentary Educational Resources.
  4. ↑ Aga Khan Award website

Bibliography

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.