Minaret
A tall tower associated with a mosque, traditionally used for the call to prayer. Its forms vary widely across regions and periods.
Mosque: A Muslim place of communal worship, usually including a prayer hall oriented toward Mecca. The minaret is an architectural feature associated with this building.
Call to prayer: A vocal or amplified announcement summoning Muslims to one of the daily prayers. The minaret historically provided an elevated place for this announcement.
Great Mosque of Samarra: A ninth-century mosque in Iraq, famed for its monumental spiral minaret. Its spiraling exterior ramp makes it one of the most distinctive minarets.
Church tower: A tower attached to or associated with a Christian church, often containing bells. Both mark religious buildings, but their forms and customary functions differ.
Islamic urbanism: The planning and built form of cities shaped by Islamic institutions, practices, and histories. Minarets help make mosques legible within the city’s built environment.
Adhan: The Islamic call to prayer, proclaimed five times daily at prescribed times. Calling the adhan is the minaret’s traditional liturgical purpose.
Islamic prayer: The prescribed Muslim act of worship performed at set times each day. The calls associated with minarets announce the times for this worship.
Koutoubia Mosque: A twelfth-century mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco, with a prominent square minaret. Its tower became a defining example of Almohad minaret design.
Bell tower: A tower designed to house bells, especially in a church or civic building. Its sound-signaling role parallels the minaret’s traditional call to prayer.
Soundscape: The acoustic environment formed by the sounds present in a place. Calls broadcast from minarets can become a defining part of a neighborhood’s soundscape.