al-Qalis, Abraha's cathedral at Sanaa
c. c. 550 – c. 750
Place: sanaa
15.348, 44.206 · On the map
Known from Islamic-era writers (Ibn Ishaq, al-Azraqi). Its site in Sanaa's old city is pointed out locally, but no securely published excavation was found this turn.
Arabic historians describe a magnificent church (al-Qalis, from Greek ekklesia) that Abraha built at Sanaa, intended to draw Arab pilgrims away from the Ka'ba. They say it was later dismantled under the Abbasids. The story ties Christian Yemen directly to the rivalry over pilgrimage to Mecca.
People named here
- Abraha
Links
Conflict and authority
Out
The 'Year of the Elephant': Abraha's march on Mecca (Q 105)
Tradition says a desecration of al-Qalis provoked the march on Mecca.
motivated
traditionalIn
Abraha, Christian ruler of Yemen
Tradition credits Abraha with the Sanaa cathedral.
built
traditional
Sources
- Wikipedia: Al-Qalis Church
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, trans. A. Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad (OUP 1955) — insider tradition, compiled c. 750, recension of Ibn Hisham d. 833
Internet Archive (lending record). Accessed 2026-11-11.