One of the oldest mosques in the world, said to have been founded in the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. Non-Muslims are not permitted inside, but the exterior — and the sight of the minarets rising above the old city roofscape — is part of any walk through the old quarter. The Friday market held nearby draws traders from across the region.
Great Mosque of Sana'a
One of the world's oldest mosques, founded in Muhammad's lifetime
A story
In 1972, during repairs to the roof, workers found a sealed cache of ancient Quran manuscripts hidden between the inner and outer ceilings — including parchment fragments dated by radiocarbon to the seventh century, among the oldest known. The find has reshaped scholarship on the early textual history of the Quran.