Ḏamār

Dhamar lies on a high plain in central Yemen, on the route between Sanaa and the southern highlands. Unlike many Yemeni towns perched on heights, it grew on the floor of a broad basin. Its market drew people from nearby tribal districts, and the town became known for mosques, schools and a Jewish community whose craftsmen worked in trades including silverwork and weaving.

The Dhamar plain saw repeated struggles between local tribes and outside rulers, including the Rasulids and the Ottomans. In the sixteenth century the Zaydi imam Sharaf al-Din founded the Shamsiyya mosque and school in the town; the work was completed under his son Shams al-Din in 1544. Built of dark stone, the school taught religious and linguistic sciences and provided lodging for students from beyond Dhamar. It became an important centre of Zaydi learning, giving the highland town a scholarly importance alongside its place on the road through Yemen.