Al Ashrafiya mosque and madrasa. and other Ta`izz, Yemen Things to Do Tips

This mosque complex with its utterly distinctive twin white minarets was founded by the founder of the Rasulid dynasty in the thirteenth century.
Unlike most other mosques in Yemen, it is actually possible to enter this one if you are not a muslim, and although one can only actually enter the madrasa and the royal mausoleum you can poke your head into the prayer hall and see the interior decoration. This is in course of restoration by an Italian team: there are small patches where the paintwork had been cleaned revealing bright colours that lie beneath the thick layer of dirt that has turned the interior almost black.

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The castle which hangs over the city is an enormous piece of military engineering and is currently being restored, expense seemingly no object. As can be seen from the photo on my ta'izz page it has several concentric rings of defensive walls, crowned by a castle which is unfortunately still used by the military and is therefore off-limits. As impressive as the walls are the vast cisterns built to ensure that shortage of water would not be a problem in case of seige.
And of course the views are stupendous.

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