Dictionary of Islamic Architecture [full size]   Mihrab Niche or marker used to indicate the direction of prayer usually in a mosque. Definition A mihrab is usually a niche set into the middle of the qibla wall of a building in order to indicate the direction of Mecca. The earliest mosques do not appear to have had mihrabs and instead the whole qibla wall was used to indicate the direction of Mecca. Sometimes a painted mark or a tree stump would be used to reinforce the direction. In the cave beneath the rock in the Dome of the Rock there is a marble plaque with a blind niche carved into it which, if contemporary with the rest of the structure,... [more] Related ArchNet Materials   Images IHS0261 Interior view of the maqsura,... IIR0181 Interior view of the sanctuary of... Search Alphabetically A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Legal Notes Contact ArchNet