Mohammed I.
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It is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.
Sidi Yahya is named for its first imam and head professor Sidi Yahya (also called Sidi Yahya Tadelsi or Sidi Yahya Al Andulusi). The mosque is located south of the more famous Sankoré Mosque. Construction of the Sidi Yahya mosque was begun in 1400 by Sheikh El-Mokhtar Hamalla in expectation of a great holy person. It took 40 years to complete. In 1441 Mohamed Naddah, the city-governor of Timbuktu, appointed his close friend Sidi Yahya as its first imam. This marked the beginning of the mosque as a madrassa and a great center of learning.
Its original shape was altered in 1939 to reduce its appearance as a military fortress. The original minaret, however, is still in place. Beneath it are the sepulchres of Sidi Yahya and Mohamed Naddah who are said to have died one week apart.
Must visit while in Timbuktu.
