Knowra Mihrab Mihrab A mihrab is a niche in a mosque wall that marks the direction of Mecca for prayer. It often anchors the mosque’s prayer hall visually and acoustically.
Qibla : The direction Muslims face during prayer, toward the Kaaba in Mecca. The mihrab identifies this direction within the mosque.
Mosque architecture : The architectural design of buildings used for Muslim worship. The mihrab is integrated into the prayer hall’s architectural organization.
Mihrab of the Great Mosque of Córdoba : An ornate eleventh-century mihrab in the Great Mosque of Córdoba, framed by mosaics and a horseshoe arch. Its richly decorated recess shows the mihrab as a major architectural focus.
Early Islamic architecture : Architecture produced in the early centuries of Islam, from the seventh through the tenth century. The mihrab developed as mosque architecture took shape in this period.
Islamic art : Artistic traditions associated with Muslim societies, including architecture, calligraphy, textiles, and objects. Mihrabs bring architectural form and ornament together within Islamic art.
Kaaba : A cubical shrine at the center of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, central to Muslim prayer and pilgrimage. The qibla indicated by the mihrab points toward the Kaaba.
Islamic calligraphy : The artistic practice of writing Arabic and other scripts in forms developed across Islamic cultures. Inscriptions often frame mihrabs and reinforce their religious setting.
Mihrab of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun : A prayer niche in Cairo’s ninth-century Mosque of Ibn Tulun, among the city’s earliest surviving mosque mihrabs. It offers an early example of the mihrab in Egyptian mosque architecture.
Umayyad architecture : Architecture sponsored under the Umayyad caliphates, notable for adapting and combining regional traditions. Umayyad-era mosques helped establish the mihrab as a prominent architectural feature.
Sacred architecture : Architecture designed to support religious practice and express sacred meaning. The mihrab turns orientation toward prayer into a visible architectural feature.
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