Sahn

A sahn is an open courtyard within a mosque complex, often providing space for gathering, movement, and access to surrounding rooms or prayer areas.

Hypostyle hall: A large interior space whose roof is supported by rows of columns or pillars. Many mosque courtyards open directly onto a columned prayer hall.
Prophet's Mosque: The mosque in Medina founded by Muhammad, which became a major model in Islamic architectural history. Its early courtyard-and-prayer-space arrangement influenced later mosque forms.
Friday prayer: The communal Muslim prayer held on Friday, accompanied by a sermon. A large sahn can accommodate worshippers when the prayer hall is full.
Four-iwan plan: An architectural plan organized around a courtyard with an iwan centered on each of its four sides. It is a distinctive courtyard arrangement, not a requirement of every sahn.
Iwan: A vaulted hall or space enclosed on three sides and open on one side. An iwan may form a prominent sheltered edge of a courtyard mosque.
Great Mosque of Damascus: An early monumental congregational mosque in Damascus, built in the early eighth century. Its expansive enclosed court became a celebrated example of the mosque courtyard.
Sermon: A speech on religious or moral subjects delivered to an audience. Courtyards can extend the audience for sermons and other mosque gatherings.
Ottoman mosque architecture: A mosque-building tradition shaped under the Ottoman Empire, often organized around a domed prayer hall. Many Ottoman mosques emphasize a covered central space more than a monumental courtyard.
Riwaq: A roofed arcade or portico supported by columns or piers. Riwaqs provide shaded circulation around many mosque courtyards.
Umayyad architecture: The architectural traditions developed under the Umayyad caliphate, especially in the seventh and eighth centuries. Umayyad builders established influential mosque plans organized around open courts.

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