Glossary · M
Mihrab
Also called mihrabs, miḥrāb
A niche in the middle of the qibla wall of a mosque, marking the direction of prayer; often the most richly decorated part of the building.
Rules that use the word
Everything turns to the qibla. Orient the prayer hall so that its principal wall, the qibla wall, stands square to the direction of Mecca, and mark the middle of that wall with a niche, the mihrab.
The four-iwan court. Place an iwan (a vaulted hall walled on three sides and open on the fourth) at the middle of each side of the courtyard, the one on the qibla side leading to a domed chamber before the mihrab.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters The Islamic World.
A feature of Early Islamic (Umayyad and Abbasid) architecture.
Nearby in the glossary
Medhi · Megalith · Megaron · Metope · Minaret · Minbar · Mingjian · Modillion