There is nothing left of this mosque today except the minaret which stood next to it. Later the Court & Treasury buildings were built next to it. Views differ on the builder of the mosque and its minaret. Some say the huge mosque was built at great cost by a woman of the Bani-Ghassan between AD 1397- 1597.
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Nevertheless, it is generally agreed in some history books that the minaret once formed part of this important mosque in Aden. The Portugese invasion pictures of for Aden show that the minaret was part of the mosque.
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This minaret once used for calling the faithful to prayer is situated opposite the basketball stadium at the far end of a small park adjacent to Crater's Post Office. It has a zig-zag staircase made of 86 steps that lead to the level where the muezzin stood for azan, five times each day.
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Some recent scholars expressed their thoughts that the surrounding base was not built till after the 1940's. However, the greyscale photo lower down in this page was taken c. 1935 and it clearly shows the base. There was concern that the minaret was liable to fall so no one was able till then to ascend it on foot. The minaret has a slight tilt and is sometimes known as the Pisa of Aden.
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Local research affirms the possibility that the foundation of the basement structure is related to the era before the birth of Islam. Many of the findings affirmed that this minaret is the only remnant of the "Big Mosque" that had once been erected in the location, but was demolished due to its age, and other natural occurrences which affected it.
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It might be that the Mosque's wings and halls once stretched from the front of, what is now, the Board of Commerce building, right up to the newly built basketball stadium or Al-Hubaishi football ground. During the 1960's during some civil-works diggings, four arched-pillars of an Islamic decorated pattern were found in the location of the football stadium. This indicates that the demolished "Big Mosque" was located very close to the space occupied now by Al-Hubaishi Stadium.
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It was mentioned in Islamic resources that the first generation of Yemeni Muslim believers used to bury their dead around the area of constructed mosques. Three tombs were clearly visible in a Portuguese drawing of Aden made in the year 512. The Mosque and the minaret were also shown in these early drawings.
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Thus, with the preceding evidence, it is possible to say that the Manarah Mosque had been occupying a large area extending to the new basket-ball ground and ending in the building of the Board of Commerce. Upon this assumption, it could be considered at that time one of the largest mosques built in the district of Crater.
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Many researchers state the builder of the Manarah Mosque was the Ummayah Ruler/Caliph Omar ibn Abdul Aziz, while one scholar called Ibn Al-Magawer pointed that its construction was attributed to the Persians who were living in Aden. What is known for sure is that most history books agree that this mosque relates to the city of Aden, and its full name is "Aden Jame-Al-Manarah".
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Many Yemeni historians agree that Prince Hussain bin Salamah, who died in the Year 426 Hijria, renovated the Manarah Mosque. It was then known either as Hussain Masjid or Salamah Masjid. The Prince ordered the addition of two west wings for the Mosque.
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As for the minaret that is left standing today, it has gone through several repairs, one of which was conducted in 1950. This is noted on a plaque at the base. Later, during the expansion of Al-Hubaishi football ground facing the minaret, some old walls were discovered. These were thought to be either the foundations or some remaining sectors of the former Mosque's wings.
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To add perhaps further confusion to the foregoing, Abul Feda states that a large jami' masjid (mosque) was built some time before AD 718 by Omar bin Abdul Aziz, the 8th Caliph of the Bani Amaya. This mosque was built on the Crater foreshore where the regimental barracks later stood, and was repaired and enlarged by Abu Abdalla al Hussain ba Salâma a former Nubian slave who rose to become ruler of Yemen. This mosque was clearly quite a separate entity yet it's relatively close proximity might be the reason for Omar bin Abdul Aziz being credited as builder of the Al-Manara Mosque.