The Textbook of Architecture

Glossary · S

Sahn

Also called sahns

The open courtyard of a mosque, usually surrounded by porticoes, where the overflow of worshippers can pray and where the ablution fountain stands.

See also: Riwaq, Haram

Rules that use the word

Court and prayer hall. Build the congregational mosque as an enclosed courtyard (sahn) with a covered prayer hall (haram) on its qibla side and shaded porticoes (riwaq) on the others.

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

Roughcast · Royal cubit · Rustication · Şadırvan · Sail vault · Salle de verdure · Sarsen · Sash window