Sidi Yahya Mosque

Sidi Yahya Mosque is a mud-brick mosque in Timbuktu, Mali, dating to the 15th century and forming one of the three principal mosques of the historic city. It is a representative example of Sudano-Sahelian earthen architecture and part of Timbuktu’s UNESCO World Heritage ensemble.

The mosque is notable for its adobe construction with visible wooden beams projecting from the walls and roof that serve as scaffolding for maintenance. Its scale is comparable to the other major Timbuktu mosques rather than to large congregational mosques elsewhere in West Africa.

Built in the 15th century as Timbuktu developed as an Islamic learning and trade center, the mosque has been repaired and maintained by the local community across centuries. Conservation efforts in recent decades have focused on preserving the traditional earthen construction and the site’s manuscripts and manuscripts-associated heritage.

The mosque sits within the urban fabric of Timbuktu in the Tombouctou Region of northern Mali, on the southern rim of the Sahara Desert. It is in the historic quarter near the other great mosques and historic manuscript libraries of the city.

• UNESCO site: Part of the group of three major mud-brick mosques in Timbuktu that are included in the UNESCO World Heritage inscription for the city.
• Annual replastering: Subject to an annual communal replastering that maintains its earthen walls and roof; this maintenance is essential to the building’s survival in the Sahel climate.