Mansura: History on high [Archives:2002/17/Culture]

MOHAMMED SAEED
AL-MIKHLAFI
FOR YEMEN TIMES
Located in the mountaintop of as-Selw, the Mansura fortress is one of the most important and ancient fortresses in Yemen. Its a historic site that would draw the interest of any tourist.
It was built there because of the height of the mountain of as-Selw and its strategic location in the. Though there are conflicting chronicles about the exact date of erecting it, al-Mansura fortress was properly built in 11th century AD, likely toward the end of the reign of the Ayyubid dynasty (1173-1228).
Great fortress
Historians note that al-Dumlwa (another name for al-Mansura) was a great fortress in Yemen in a district called al-Hujariyyah to the west of al-Janad and al-Selw areas, located in a mountain called the Abu Moghalis.
The architecture of the fortress is a unique historic feature in itself. Its evidence of how the ancient Yemenis were strong and creative. To build the fortress in such a rugged part of Yemen would have been a challenge.
To reach the al-Mansura fortress, you have to travel 40 km south of Taiz City, passing by al-Dimnah and then to the al-Selw intersection, located near the Warazan Valley. Then you have to travel the al-Selw mountain. Reaching the peak of the mountain, you will see amazing landscapes in the nearby area. In roughly less than three hours, you will reach the al-Mansura fortress.
To know more about this ancient monument, we approached an old man, Ahmed Naji as-Selwi, an inhabitant of the area, who noted the al-Mansura fortress is an ancient vestige. He pointed out that many tourists come to see it for its wonderful architecture.
Its located in the highest peak in the as-Selw mountainous region. Its height is 2005 feet above the sea level.
The wall of the fortress was built in a splendid way. There are many Quranic scriptures on the threshold of the fortresss gate and its inner walls as well. There are also many small dams inside the fortress, such as, al-Kadwi dam, al-Nubah dam, Mujrad dam in Dar al-Qasir and the Grand Himiyar dam which is eight meters deep, 30 meters long and 12 meters wide. The lesser Himiyar is 10 meters wide, 10 meters long and six meters deep. The fortress includes many facilities, like, a mosque, mounting towers and other annexes.
First rulers
The history of the al-Mansura fortress dates back to the early history of the Ayyubid occupation of Yemen in early 1173. The first Ayyubid ruler of Yemen was Turanshah, the conqueror of Yemen and brother of the famous Islamic leader, Sallahuddin al-Ayyubi. Then, he left the area to be replaced by Sultan Saifulislam, who arrived in 1193. He was the first to be named al-Aziz, however, his real name was Taghtakin bin Ayyub. The non-Arabic names of these rulers, may explain the fact that the Ayyubid occupation of some parts of Yemen had brought some Kurdish words, including the original name of the al-Mansura fortress (al-Dumlwa). Originally, the Ayyubids were of Kurdish origin and had conquered Egypt in 1169.
Saifulislam could eventually dominate many parts of Yemen. He erected the Old Sanaa City wall and then invaded Hadramaut and dominated it as well. Saifulislam built the al-Mansura fortress in the south of Taiz and died in 1212. He was killed outside Zabeed.


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