Religious radicals have blown up a 16th century mosque housing the shrine of a revered Sufi scholar in the Yemeni city of Taez, AFP reported Sunday (July 31st).
Gunmen led by a Salafist local chief known as Abu al-Abbas blew up the mosque of Sheikh Abdulhadi al-Sudi on Friday night, a local official said, confirming media reports of the attack.
Yemen's commission for antiquities and museums condemned the destruction of the site that is considered the most famous in Taez.
It said the mosque's white dome was "one of the biggest domes in Yemen and one of the most beautiful religious sites in old Taez".
Taez is besieged by the Houthis, but the city itself is controlled by a combination of forces allied with President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Residents have complained of the growing influence of radical Salafists, who have been imposing curbs on mixing between men and women.
