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58-417: The minbar , which is the raised platform from which an imam (leader of prayer) addresses the congregation, is located to the right of the mihrab . The origin of the word miḥrāb is complicated, and multiple explanations have been proposed by different sources and scholars. It may come from Old South Arabian (possibly Sabaic ) 𐩣𐩢𐩧𐩨 mḥrb meaning a certain part of a palace , as well as "part of

116-550: A maqsura , denoting not only the place where the imam led prayers but also where some official functions, such as the dispensation of justice, were carried out. In the Mosque of the Prophet ( Al-Masjid al-Nabawi ) in Medina , a large block of stone initially marked the north wall which was oriented towards Jerusalem (the first qibla), but this was moved to the south wall in the second year of

174-479: A bow-drill technique. This is one of the earliest examples of this woodworking technique, which later became common in the fabrication of mashrabiyya s (wooden screens and balconies). The next oldest Maghrebi minbar to survive is that of the Great Mosque of Nedroma , dated to around 1086, but only some fragments of its original structure remain. The minbar of the Great Mosque of Algiers , dated to around 1097,

232-516: A canopy. From the subsequent Timurid period, the most important example is the minbar of the Mosque of Gowhar Shad in Mashhad , fabricated between 1336 and 1446. It shares the overall form of the minbar in Na'in and, like the latter, it also stands apart from other Iranian minbars in having a canopy. Its decoration is distinguished by a carpet-like geometric pattern filled with carvings of tendrils. In

290-491: A common feature of Late Antique architecture prior to the rise of Islam, either as hollow spaces or to house statues . The mihrab niche could have also been related to the recessed area or alcove that sheltered the throne in some royal audience halls. The next earliest concave mihrab to be documented is the one that was added to the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus when it was built by Al-Walid between 706 and 715. This

348-405: A grille with more geometric designs, framed by Arabic inscriptions. Both the portal at the bottom and the kiosk-canopy at the top were crowned with muqarnas . In Mamluk Egypt (13th–16th centuries), minbars were crafted following the earlier Syrian tradition. Their decoration is distinguished by the use of bone, ivory, ebony, or mother-of-pearl inlaid into the wood. The geometric patterning of

406-602: A mix of marquetry , inlay , and wood carving . The only other minbar approaching, but not quite matching, the quality of the Almoravid minbar in Marrakesh is the minbar of the Qarawiyyin Mosque , also commissioned by Ali ibn Yusuf and completed in 1144. The other notable minbars produced after this, mostly found in present-day Morocco, generally imitate the style of the earlier Almoravid minbar. These later minbars include

464-431: A niche be made to designate the qibla wall (which identifies the direction of Mecca), which became the first concave mihrab niche. This type of mihrab was called miḥrāb mujawwaf in historical Arabic texts . The origin of this architectural feature has been debated by scholars. Some trace it to the apse of Christian churches , others to the alcove shrines or niches of Buddhist architecture . Niches were already

522-515: A result, later Muslim rulers sometimes invested considerable expense in commissioning richly-decorated minbars for the main mosques of their major cities. The oldest Islamic pulpit in the world to be preserved up to the present day is the minbar of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Kairouan , Tunisia . It dates from around 860 or 862 CE, under the tenure of the Aghlabid governor Abu Ibrahim Ahmad , and

580-529: A seat, resembling a throne . After Muhammad's death, this minbar continued to be used as a symbol of authority by the caliphs who followed him. The Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I ( r.  661–680 ) heightened Muhammad's original minbar by increasing the number of steps from three to six, thus increasing its prominence. During the Umayyad period, the minbar was used by the caliphs or their representative governors to make important public announcements and to deliver

638-469: A special room in a house; a throne room in a palace, for example. The Fath al-Bari (p. 458), on the authority of others, suggests the mihrab is "the most honorable location of kings" and "the master of locations, the front and the most honorable." The Mosques in Islam (p. 13), in addition to Arabic sources, cites Theodor Nöldeke and others as having considered a mihrab to have originally signified

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696-643: A stone minbar to the Khanqah of Faraj ibn Barquq in 1483. This one is covered with geometric motifs carved to resemble the traditional style of wooden minbars. Ottoman minbars are distinguished in part by the shape of their canopy, where the traditional small dome is replaced with a tall, polygonal cone similar to the caps of Ottoman minarets. An exceptional early minbar is that of the Ahmed Pasha Mosque in Amasya , which has extensive finely-carved floral decoration. In

754-646: A straight line on the same axis as the seat. In some mosques, there is an elevated platform – dikka in Arabic or müezzin mahfil in Turkish – opposite the minbar where the assistant of the imam, the muezzin , stands during prayer. The muezzin recites the answers to the prayers of the imam where applicable. The first recorded minbar in the Islamic world was Muhammad's minbar in Medina , created in 629 CE (or between 628 and 631 CE). It consisted simply of two steps and

812-431: A symbol of political and religious legitimacy for Muslim authorities. It was one of the only major formal furnishings of a mosque and was therefore an important architectural feature in itself. More importantly, it was the setting for the weekly Friday sermon which, notably, usually mentioned the name of the current Muslim ruler over the community and included other public announcements of a religious or political nature. As

870-457: A temple where 𐩩𐩢𐩧𐩨 tḥrb (a certain type of visions) is obtained," from the root word 𐩢𐩧𐩨 ḥrb "to perform a certain religious ritual (which is compared to combat or fighting and described as an overnight retreat) in the 𐩣𐩢𐩧𐩨 mḥrb of the temple." It may also possibly be related to Ethiopic ምኵራብ məkʷrab "temple, sanctuary," whose equivalent in Sabaic is 𐩣𐩫𐩧𐩨 mkrb of

928-427: A throne room. The term was subsequently used by the Islamic prophet Muhammad to denote his own private prayer room. The room additionally provided access to the adjacent mosque, and Muhammad entered the mosque through this room. This original meaning of mihrab  – i.e. as a special room in the house – continues to be preserved in some forms of Judaism where mihrabs are rooms used for private worship. In

986-521: Is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome , also known as an exedra . In Byzantine , Romanesque , and Gothic Christian church (including cathedral and abbey ) architecture , the term is applied to a semi-circular or polygonal termination of the main building at the liturgical east end (where the altar is), regardless of the shape of the roof, which may be flat, sloping, domed, or hemispherical. Smaller apses are found elsewhere, especially in shrines . An apse

1044-401: Is a semicircular recess, often covered with a hemispherical vault. Commonly, the apse of a church, cathedral or basilica is the semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir or sanctuary , or sometimes at the end of an aisle. Smaller apses are sometimes built in other parts of the church, especially for reliquaries or shrines of saints. The domed apse became a standard part of

1102-411: Is located to the right of the mihrab , a niche in the far wall of the mosque that symbolizes the direction of prayer (i.e. towards Mecca ). It is usually shaped like a small tower with a seat or kiosk -like structure at its top and a staircase leading up to it. The bottom of the staircase often has a doorway or portal . In contrast to many Christian pulpits, the steps up to the minbar are usually in

1160-603: Is more substantially preserved and resembles the presumed form of the Cordoba minbar. Its sides are decorated with square panels of vegetal and sometimes geometric motifs. The most important surviving minbar of this artistic tradition is the Almoravid minbar in Marrakesh , commissioned in 1137 by Ali ibn Yusuf and completed around 1145. During the Almohad period later that century, it

1218-482: Is no empty space in-between the art. The mihrab in the Great Mosque of Cordoba is a highly decorated piece of art that draws one's attention. It is a contribution made by Al-Hakam II that is not just used for prayer. It is used as a place of convergence in the mosque, where visitors could be amazed by its beauty and gilded designs. The entrance is covered in mosaics "which links to the Byzantium tradition, produced by

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1276-546: Is reserved for the clergy, and was therefore formerly called the "presbytery", from Greek presbuteros , " elder ", or in older and Catholic usage "priest". Semi-circular choirs, first developed in the East, which came into use in France in 470. By the onset of the 13th century, they had been augmented with radiating apse chapels outside the choir aisle, the entire structure of apse, choir and radiating chapels coming to be known as

1334-538: The hijra period (2 AH or 624 CE ), when the orientation of the qibla was changed towards Mecca. This mihrab also marked the spot where Muhammad would plant his lance ( 'anaza or ḥarba ) prior to leading prayers. During the reign of the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (Al-Walid I, r. 705–715), the Mosque of the Prophet was renovated and the governor ( wāli ) of Medina, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz , ordered that

1392-529: The Abbasids to the Great Mosque of al-Mansur in Baghdad. It was then moved again to the al-Khassaki Mosque built in the 17th century, where it was later found and transferred to the museum. This mihrab features a combination of Classical or Late Antique motifs, with the niche flanked by two spiral columns and crowned by a scalloped shell-like hood. Eventually, the niche came to be universally understood to identify

1450-461: The Ilkhanid period (13th–14th centuries) include those in the Great Mosque of Na'in (1311) and in the prayer hall added by Uljaytu to the Great Mosque of Isfahan . Both are wooden structures, with the former's flanks decorated by rectangular panels with beveled motifs and the latter's flanks decorated by octagonal geometric motifs. The minbar in Na'in is also one of the few Iranian minbars topped by

1508-614: The Ottoman period. These wooden minbars were in many cases very intricately decorated with geometric patterns and carved arabesques (vegetal and floral motifs), as well as with Arabic calligraphic inscriptions (often recording the minbar's creation or including Qur'anic verses). In some cases they also featured delicate inlay work with ivory or mother-of-pearl . Many workshops created minbars that were assembled from hundreds of pieces held together using an interlocking technique and wooden pegs, but without glue or metal nails. Some of

1566-623: The Ottoman Baroque style , minbars were carved with eclectic motifs inspired by the European Baroque . Minbars were highly variable in style and size on the Indian subcontinent , but stone was the favoured material throughout the region. Wooden minbars may have been employed in earlier periods, but few or none have been preserved. Some of the minbars are merely a series of simple steps while others are very elaborate. Among other variations,

1624-494: The Qur'an , the word (when in conjunction with the definite article) is mostly used to indicate the Holy of Holies . The term is used, for example, in the verse "then he [i.e. Zechariah ] came forth to his people from the mihrab ". The earliest mihrabs generally consisted of a simple stripe of paint or a flat stone panel in the qibla wall. They may have originally had functions similar to

1682-449: The imam (leader of prayers ) stands to deliver sermons ( خطبة , khutbah ). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and lectures the congregation. The word is a derivative of the Arabic root ن ب ر n-b-r ("to raise, elevate"); the Arabic plural is manābir ( Arabic : مَنابِر ). In Islam, the minbar is symbolically the seat of

1740-426: The imam who leads prayers in the mosque and delivers sermons . In the early years of Islam , this seat was reserved for the Islamic prophet Muhammad and later for the caliphs who followed him, each of whom was officially the imam of the whole Muslim community . It is important to note that the title "Imam" was officially adopted by Imam Ali alone (The fourth Muslim caliph). The first three rulers of Muslims after

1798-565: The mihrab does not follow the qibla direction, such as is the Masjid al-Qiblatayn , or the Mosque of the Two Qiblas, where Muhammad received the command to change the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca, thus it had two prayer niches. In 1987 the mosque was renovated, the old prayer niche facing Jerusalem was removed, and the one facing Mecca was left. Mihrabs are a relevant part of Islamic culture and mosques. Since they are used to indicate

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1856-501: The mihrab of the Companions of the Prophet in the eastern half and the great mihrab at the end of the transept". The mihrab is decorated similarly to the rest of the mosque in golden vines and vegetal imagery. The lamp that once hung in the mihrab has been theorized as the motif of a pearl, due to the indications that dome of the mihrab has scalloped edges. There have been other mosques that have mihrabs similar to this that follow

1914-423: The qibla wall, and so came to be adopted as a feature in other mosques. A sign was no longer necessary. Today, mihrabs vary in size, but are usually ornately decorated. It was common for mihrabs to be flanked with pairs of candlesticks, though they would not have lit candles. In Ottoman mosques, these were made of brass, bronze or beaten copper and their bases had a distinctive bell shape. In exceptional cases,

1972-622: The Friday sermon ( khutba ). In the last years of the Umayyad Caliphate, before its fall in 750, the Umayyads ordered minbars to be constructed for all the Friday mosques of Egypt and soon afterward this practice was extended to other Muslim territories. By the early Abbasid period (after 750), it had become standard in Friday mosques across all Muslim communities. Minbars thus quickly developed into

2030-419: The Prophet used the title "Caliph" for themselves. It eventually became standard for all Friday mosques and was used by the local imam, but it retained its significance as a symbol of authority. While minbars are roughly similar to church pulpits , they have a function and position more similar to that of a church lectern , being used instead by the imam for a wide range of readings and prayers. The minbar

2088-460: The South Arabian root, does not however carry any relation to religious rituals) thus leading some to interpret it to mean a "fortress", or "place of battle (with Satan )," the latter due to mihrabs being private prayer chambers. The latter interpretation though bears similarity to the nature of the 𐩢𐩧𐩨 ḥrb ritual. The word mihrab originally had a non-religious meaning and simply denoted

2146-576: The al-Aqsa Mosque (also known as the Minbar of Saladin ) in Jerusalem , commissioned in 1168-69 by Nur ad-Din and signed by four different craftsmen. Prior to its destruction by arson in 1969, it was the most accomplished surviving example of Syrian craftsmanship in this woodworking tradition. Its sides were decorated with a tracery -like geometric pattern whose pieces were filled with carved arabesques. Its balustrades were made of turned wood assembled into

2204-701: The best-documented minbars are those produced in the Levant and Egypt from the 11th to 15th centuries. The oldest surviving example is the Minbar of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron , commissioned in 1091 under the Fatimids , originally for a shrine in Ascalon . It features decoration in geometric strapwork motifs and Arabic inscriptions. Among the most famous minbars was the Minbar of

2262-740: The central Islamic lands, stone or marble minbars were occasionally produced at an early period, as with some examples in Mamluk Cairo, but they are generally characteristic of the later Ottoman period. Compared to the earlier traditions of wooden minbars, stone minbars were often simpler in their decoration. One of the few early marble minbars of Mamluk Cairo is found in the Aqsunqur Mosque in Cairo (circa 1347). Its marble surfaces are decorated with other stone materials of different colors inside an interlacing pattern formed by bands of marble. A marble minbar

2320-485: The church plan in the early Christian era. In the Eastern Orthodox Church tradition, the south apse is known as the diaconicon and the north apse as the prothesis . Various ecclesiastical features of which the apse may form part are drawn together here. The chancel (or sanctuary), directly to the east beyond the choir , contains the high altar, where there is one (compare communion table ). This area

2378-467: The craftsmen sent by Emperor Nicephorus II. These mosaics extend along the voussoirs with a geometric and plant-based design, but also in the inscriptions which record verses from the Koran". This mihrab is also a bit different from a normal mihrab due to its scale. It takes up a whole room instead of just a niche. This style of mihrab set a standard for other mihrab construction in the region. The use of

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2436-405: The decoration is further elaborated, using multi-pointed stars whose lines are extended into a wider complex pattern, with arabesques carved inside the various polygons. The canopy at the summit of the minbar was usually topped by a bulbous finial similar to those at the top of minarets. Among the most notable examples is the minbar of the Mosque of Salih Tala'i , dated to 1300, which is also one of

2494-478: The direction for prayer, they serve as an important focal point in the mosque. They are usually decorated with ornamental detail that can be geometric designs, linear patterns, or calligraphy. This ornamentation also serves a religious purpose. The calligraphy decoration on the mihrabs are usually from the Qur'an and are devotions to God so that God's word reaches the people. Common designs amongst mihrabs are geometric foliage that are close together so that there

2552-405: The earliest surviving minbars of this period. Another significant example is the minbar in the Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad , from between 1415 and 1420. One of the finest minbars of the period is the Minbar of al-Ghamri (circa 1451), currently housed in the Khanqah of Sultan Barsbay . This minbar takes the design of decorative geometric patterns slightly further by using curved lines instead of

2610-586: The finest Ottoman minbars, the main flanks are pierced with geometric openwork and arcades . The apogee of this style is exemplified by the minbar of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne (circa 1574). The conical cap of this minbar is also covered with decorative tiles, a feature shared with the slightly earlier minbar of the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque . In later centuries, following the introduction of

2668-723: The first step of the minbar is often preceded by a small square platform whose original purpose is unclear. In the Deccan , the minbar is usually a plain staircase of three steps. In the Mughal Empire, some minbars also had a simple design form with three steps, but they sometimes had flourishes such as a highly-polished or inlaid marble finish (especially under Shah Jahan ) or a pierced stone balustrade. Apse In architecture , an apse ( pl. : apses ; from Latin absis , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek ἀψίς , apsis , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis ; pl. : apsides )

2726-463: The horseshoe arch, carved stucco , and glass mosaics made an impression for the aesthetic of mihrabs , "although no other extant mihrab in Spain or western North Africa is as elaborate." The Great Mosque of Damascus was started by al-Walid in 706. It was built as a hypostyle mosque, built with a prayer hall leading to the mihrab, "on the back wall of the sanctuary are four mihrabs , two of which are

2784-753: The minbar of the Kasbah Mosque in Marrakesh (circa 1189–1195), the minbar of the Mosque of the Andalusians following its Almohad renovation (circa 1203–1209), the minbar of the Great Mosque of Fes el-Jdid (circa 1276), the minbar of the Great Mosque of Taza (circa 1290–1300), and the minbar of the Bou Inania Madrasa in Fez (between 1350 and 1355). Even the much later minbar of the Mouassine Mosque in Marrakesh (between 1562 and 1573) continues to show imitations of

2842-740: The minbars of the Bengal Sultanate and the Gujarat Sultanate typically have canopies, while those of the Jaunpur Sultanate and Mughal Empire usually do not. One of the most elegant examples of the canopied type is the minbar in the Friday Mosque of Mandu in the Malwa region, dated to 1454, which has a dome in the local style upheld by curving brackets . In both the Gujarat and Malwa regions,

2900-511: The oldest surviving examples in the Maghreb, after the minbar of Kairouan, is the minbar of the Mosque of the Andalusians in Fez, which was originally constructed in 980 and is partly preserved today. Its original woodwork is carved with geometric motifs that appear inspired by those of the minbar in Kairouan. When the minbar was modified in 985, some panels were replaced with panels of turned wood using

2958-459: The same meaning, from the root word 𐩫𐩧𐩨 krb "to dedicate" (cognate with Akkadian 𒅗𒊒𒁍 karābu "to bless" and related to Hebrew כְּרוּב kerūḇ " cherub (either of the heavenly creatures that bound the Ark in the inner sanctuary )"). Arab lexicographers traditionally derive the word from the Arabic root ح ر ب (Ḥ-R-B) relating to "war, fighting or anger," (which, though cognate with

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3016-402: The same theme, with scalloped domes that are "concave like a conch or mother of pearl shell. The original main mihrab of the mosque has not been preserved, having been renovated many times, and the current one is a replacement dating from renovations after a destructive 1893 fire. Minbar A minbar ( Arabic : منبر ; sometimes romanized as mimber ) is a pulpit in a mosque where

3074-547: The same tradition. Iranian minbars typically have no canopy or dome at the top, distinguishing them from minbars in other regions. In Iran , Mesopotomia , and Anatolia , some wooden minbars preserved from the 11th and 12th centuries are carved with vegetal beveled-style motifs. Most other early minbars in Iran and Afghanistan were destroyed during the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. The most significant minbars preserved from

3132-470: The usual straight lines to form its polygons. In the Maghreb , a number of wooden minbars have been preserved from the 10th to 15th centuries. The Great Mosque of Cordoba (in present-day Spain) hosted a famous minbar fabricated circa 975 on the orders of al-Hakam II . It has not survived to the present day, but it was probably emulated by the later minbars in the Maghreb that have been preserved. Among

3190-576: Was also constructed for the earlier Mosque of Ulmas al-Hajib (1329–1330). Only fragments of it have been preserved (kept at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo ), but they attest to some of the highest-quality stonework from the Mamluk period. The stone minbar of the Mosque of Sultan Hasan in Cairo (circa 1360) is relatively plain, though it has unusually ornate bronze doors. In the next century, Sultan Qaytbay gifted

3248-460: Was imported in whole or in part from Baghdad . It is an eleven-step staircase made of over 300 sculpted pieces of teak wood (a material imported from India ). Thanks to its age and the richness of its decoration, it is considered an important piece of historic Islamic art . Woodwork was the primary medium for the construction of minbars in much of the Middle East and North Africa up until

3306-585: Was moved to the Kutubiyya Mosque in the same city. It is housed today in the Badi Palace Museum . The richly-crafted minbar was fabricated in Cordoba and may thus provide some hint of the former style and craftsmanship of the Cordoba minbar, in addition to its other structural similarities. The decoration of this minbar, however, is more extravagant and sophisticated than any other surviving examples. It combines geometric and arabesque motifs executed in

3364-561: Was then followed by a mihrab added to the Mosque of 'Amr ibn al-'As in Fustat in 710–711. Subsequently, concave mihrabs became widespread across the Muslim world and were adopted as a standard feature of mosques. The oldest surviving concave mihrab today is a marble mihrab housed at the Iraq Museum . It is believed to date from the 8th century, possibly made in northern Syria before being moved by

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