THE MIHRAB -(PRAYER NICHE) - Virginia Tech

THE MIHRAB -(PRAYER NICHE)It is mainly the liturgical qibla axismade visible. It is an early innovation inIslamic architecture, and its origins havebeen the object of controversy. It enteredIslamic world in 707- 9 as a concaveshape. This fashioned masonry, is aniche in the qibla wall similar to those inthe coptic churches, with differencebeimg that what had been a devotionalniche; now became directional. Mihrab isan acoustic device, a resonator for thevoice, shaped to bounce the sound backand magnify it at the same time. Theconcave mihrab is where the imam( theprayer leader) stations himself to leadthe congregation in prayers, therefore itwasn’t fortuitous innovation but theconsequence of an order that the Muslims overseers must have given thecopts.Promptly, the Mihrab became the centralfeature of any mosque, and of all sacredart and architecture in Islam. It has littlein common with the Alter of a Christianchurch; indeed, in all essential respectsit is its antithesis. Where as an Altar isconvex, or at least protuberant, themihrab is concave and this concavity is asymbolism of which requires that it bekept empty at all times, and opposes itself aesthetically to the cluttered surfaceof an Altar mensa. It is not the niche thatis sacred but the direction it expresses.I tried to take advantage of the qibla wallthickness, which is 1.50 m, and to cutinto the wall. Traditionally, mihrab wasalways a decorative element.It has always been exposed to ornamentation and decoration, and treated as ansculptural element.The intention was to create a simplefeature that stands out by its simplicitynot by its decoration, and to introduce itsself as a directional element, more thanto distract the worshippers attention fromtheir worship.The niche tappers inward from bothsides to 1.30 m, and they meet in themiddle at a 20 cm wide and 2 m highglass block, which allows defused light,not direct, to penetrate. This soft lightwill illuminate the niche internally. Thephilosophy is to create an etherealenvironment and to direct the worshippers to that passage of light.Light has always been an essentialconcept in Islam as a religion, as wellas an art and architecture, it symbolizes faith and sacredness.As described in the Holly Qur’aan“ God is the light of the heavens and theearth. The parable of his light is as ifthere was a niche and within it a lamb,the lamb enclosed in glass, the glass as ifa brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, anolive neither of the East not the West,whose oil illuminates although fire hasnot touched it, light upon light. Godguides whom he will to his light, God setforth parables for man and God is allknowing.” Sou rat 24 “ The Light,” verse(35).56

THE MINBAR12Is a stair case leading to a small platform that is placed on the right side ofthe mihrab ( niche) from which theImam ( prayer leader) addresses theweekly congregation (khutba). Thesermon in early Islamic times waspolitical rather than dogmatic in content. That explains why the shape of theminbar ( pulpit) has nothing to do withthe Christian ambo.In its origin it was the throne of theleader of the community ( the ProphetMohammed), set up in the place ofassembly, from the top of which he,addressed the community as law giver.Having completed the sermon, he woulddescend the pulpit and enter the nicheto lead the prayer, for as a leader heguides people to God and leads theprayer in that capacity.Although, the minbar is a symbol ofauthority, it is also an acoustic elevation. The Imam always delivers hisaddress not from the top but from thelower step, and the top part remainingempty, the canopied space stands forthe absent Prophet.Thus the minbar emphasize theintimate connection between politicsand religion in 45678912345678912345678957

5The first minbar was constructed ofthree steps fashioned from tamariskwood, from the top most of which theprophet Mohammed addresses thecompanion. The minbar (the pulpit) istraditionally made of wood, richly carvedand glowing with incrustation of nacreand ivory, marble is less common, andlimestone and even iron occasionallybeen used.In most countries the minbar becamearchitecture with folding doors admittingto a stairway crowned with a canopy ora bulbous cupola and topped with asteel crescent finianl, fig (5).The attempt in the design of themosque was to emphasize the sacredness of minbar by being a part of theqibla wall. It is 1.00 m deep with eightsteps, four of which are protruding out ofthe wall to maintain the concept ofbelonging to the prayer hall as well asthe qibla wall. The part of the plat formwhich projects 1.00 m out of the qiblawall is for the Imam to stand andaddress his congregation, so he can beseen by all the worshippers. The platform follows the same pattern of staggering that is used for the mihrab. Beinginspired with the traditional way ofsupporting an opening, by arches, theminbar is mainly a half arch curved inthe qibla wall to maintain the harmonyof the wall, being a load bearing brickwall.Examples of minbars different in design, materials and height. Fig(2, 3) are made of wood, fig(3) made of concrete,while fig (4) is different in design and location, represents a balcony. Fig (5) is the traditiona way of designing a minbar.123458

worshippers preparing themselves for prayer out sidethe mosque in FezTHE ABLUTION AREADifferent examples of Ablution fountains in theSahan (mosque courtyard).ABLUTION FOUNTAIN50100200preparation befpre entering the 4567890123456Is one of the ancillary structures for theIslamic worship. The worshipper shouldbe in a state of ritual purity before hestarts to pray. Weather total or partial,ablution must be preformed with runningwater.Historically, the fountain was found inSyria and Egypt, and it was usually adecorative feature.Ablution fountain is an intermediatebetween external and internal features,generally located in the center of thecourtyard to emphasize the initiaticfunction of water in Islam.It is similar to the Font in Christianity,which is located just inside the West doorto emphasize that it is through thesacrament of baptism one enters Christ’schurch.Water in Islam is the vehicle of purificationand enjoy an almost sacramental status.In addition to the courtyard fountain,supplementary, ablution facilities may beprovided inside the mosque, often in theshape of a colossal marble jar with basisand taps so that the elderly may complywith the law without risk of exposure tothe inclemency of the elements.Among its amenities, the fountain hastaps for lukewarm water and low stools sothe user can isolate him self physicallyfrom the ritually impure floor. This wetarea is usually separated from the rest ofthe mosque by a boundary. This definesthe boundary between the areas of ritualpurity and impurity, the former beinginvariably carpeted for the comfort of thecongregants and kept scrupulously clean.The ablution area in the edge mosque isseparated from the sahan ( the mosquecourtyard) and attached to the minaret, tobe accessible from the market area.It is separated from the sahan by a 90 cmhigh brick wall that could be used as astool for sitting and waiting. The fountainis a concrete basin finished with ceramictiles, equipped with a recycling system tosave 5678912345678912345678912345678912345678959

THE MOSQUE DOME60The Qubanji mosque, Baqhdad, IraqThe University of Khartoum Medicinecollage mosque, Khartoum, SudanThe Qubanji mosque, Baqhdad, Iraq

The dome was found in Egypt, middleEast, North Africa and arguably find it greatest expression in the Ottoman architectureof Turkey.It may represent a mosque, a palace or atomb; it may cover a square or a rectangularprayer hall, a chamber at the end of areceptional hall or a square, circular or aoctagonal tomb. It may be a minor element ina vast structure that surrounds the domedarea.The dome appears to be a general symbol,signifying power, the royal city or the focalpoint of assembly; it can therefore serve bothreligious and secular purposes.The dome has been described as the crowning glory of Islamic art, even if liturgically it isof minor significance.The earliest domes were small affairs erectedover the qibla to define it externally and tolight it internally. At a later stage the domewas used to cover the mortuary chamber inwhich the founder’s body rested; then thedome moved from this lateral position to acentral one, and grew in volume until itcovered the entire sanctuary area around theqibla.The dome is of course, a cosmic symbol inalmost every religious tradition; andsymbolically, in Islam the dome representsthe vault of heaven in the same way as thegarden prefigures in Paradise.Since the dome stands for heaven, Paradisetree provides an appropriate motif for thedecoration of the interior surface. In Islam thedecoration usually spreads downwards fromthe apex of the dome, to represent theconcept that every thing started from heavenand ends on earth.In the mosque, the dome is the mostdominant feature, expressed by height, shapeand volume. It covers the entire prayer hall.Constructed of 20 cm (shell dome) about 15m in diameter and 6 m high, it rests on a 1 mthick and 1 m high ring beam. The beam restsmainly on the center of the 4 walls of theprayer hall.At the apex of the dome, there is a 10 cmthick circular copper plate thataccommodates 4 windows with 20 cm indiameter that allow diffused light to penetrateand to illuminate the dome internally. At thetop of the plate there is a copper crescentwith a tight opening to discharge the hot airout of the prayer hall. The philosophy of havingthis soft defused illumination of transcendentlight is to symbolize the light of faith.The Prophet used to say when he washeading to the mosque:“O Allah, make light in my heart, andlight in my vision, and light in myhearing, and light on my right, andlight in my nerves, and light in myflesh, and light in my blood, and lightin my hair, and light in my skin.”Recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas by AL-Bukhariand Muslim.61

THE MINARET12Different shapes of minarets in history4It serves a dual function. It is both aland mark and place from which the callto prayer is broadcasted. It was notuntil at least the 14 th or the 15 thcentury that the minaret became auniversal feature of the mosque complex, but the symbolism is moreancient. During the time of the Prophet,the call to prayer was made from theroof of his house in Medinah. The heightof the minaret, over a neighborhood hashelped the sound to carry. Today, mostprayers times are heralded by thesound of the call broadcasted onloudspeakers. A single minaret is thenorm, but some mosques do have morethan one minerat. The feature alsoprovides a local land mark.The minaret was derived from Syrianarchitecture. It is tall, slender towerattached to or built near a mosque.Each minaret has a balcony that amuezzin ( Muslim crier) uses to call thefaithful to prayer five times a day. Thisbalcony is analogous to the belfry: thehigher one gets, the greater the areaover which the sound can be distributed. The meaning for minaret (manaraor manar) in pre-Islamic Arabia wasused to designate high places of light orfire. Minarets served also as beacons ormarkers to guide caravans or crusaderoutes. The minerats attached toIslamic fortresses along the North Africacoast (Tunisia), and Syria were used aslight houses or signal towers by theByzantines.A minaret has a significance at both thespiritual and material level. Standingvertically it serves as spiritual symbolthat links heaven and earth.5LEGEND31- Al Nileen mosque at the edge of the Nile -Khartoum2- Abu Genzeer mosque in the center of Khartoum3- example of a minaret balcony- Syria4- Medicine college,University of Khartoum, Mosque5- Al Qubanji mosque- Iraq62