Al-Aidrus Mosque

Aden, Yemen

Coordinates: 12.771722, 45.036889

Nearby Places

• Cisterns of Tawila 0.88 Km W (286°)
• Sira Castle 1.62 Km NE (59°)
• Al Ghareeb Tree 124.88 Km NW (295°)

AL AIDRUS MOSQUE

The Mosque of Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه , or Aidrus Mosque, is a 500 years old historical Sufi mosque in Aidrus Street in the Crater area of Aden. One of the principal mosques in Aden, it is named after Hz. Abu Bakr al-Aydarus رحمة الله عليه, the wali of Aden.

Originally built in the late-15th or early-16th century, the mosque underwent rebuilding after being destroyed in 1859, during the 1994 civil war in Yemen. Wahhabi fundamentalist from North Yemen damaged much of the mosque and vandalized tombs in its courtyard.

The mosque was also featured on some Aden postage stamps, e.g. the 1938 2 anna stamp.

Construction of the mosque and it’s doors

Several people alleged the Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه possessed mystical powers and claimed that they had met his spirit while sleeping. A legend mentioned of a Sikh traveller who met Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه in his dream shortly after his passing away.

The Sikh, who was suffering from a stomachache, fell asleep beside his tomb. In his dream, Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه instructed the Sikh to bathe in a nearby pond, and he quickly recovered. Following the ordeal, the grateful Sikh built a mosque over Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه grave and shortly before returning to India. He gave a promise to the local residents that he would provide the doors for the newly constructed mosque. The Sikh met Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه again in his dream after his return to India, who narrated to Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه of his difficulty of bringing wood to Yemen for the construction of the mosque’s doors. Hz. Abu Bakr رحمة الله عليه provided instructions to the Sikh on the fate of the wooden logs, to which he duly followed and threw them into the sea. Residents at Sira later reported of receiving the wooden logs which the Sikh had thrown into the sea and noted an inscription which stated the intended use of the wooden logs.