LECTURER Manar Nazar Ahmed Manar.nazar@koyauniversity.org 2017-2018
Qibla and Mihrab The direction to Mecca is called Qibla, and the Qibla of the mosque is the wall that indicates the direction to Mecca; while Mihrab is the niche in Qibla Wall. It is believed that the first use of Mihrabs' niches was within the reign of the Caliph Omar Bin Abdulaziz during the renewal of Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid An- Nabawi) in Madena (Al-Madina Al-Munawara) in 91 H. There are two types of Mihrabs: The flat and the niche; the flat Mihrabs like the Flat Mihrab of the Dome of the Rock in the cave under the rock, while for the niched Mihrabs, there are the semicircular niches like the Ibn Tulun mosque's Mihrab, and there are also the right-angles Mihrab, as well as the Polygon Mihrabs.
The building materials used in Mihrabs varies; stone, marble, clay, mosaic, wood and other materials are used to execute the ornamental elements of these Mihrabs. The wooden Mihrabs are either fixed in Qibla Wall like the صقي ;) (Sisilia= wooden Mihrab that covers the niche façade of Jawhar Sislia or mobile like the Mihrab of Lady Ruqayya's Mosque from the Fatimid reign too and now exhibited in the Islamic Art Museum in Cairo.
In some mosques there might be several Mihrabs within the Qibla Wall, some explained this as an emphasis of Qibla direction; others explained this as each Mihrab is dedicated to one of the well-known four doctrines, or just a decoration. It is worth to mention that the five Quran verses were the word "Mihrab" was mentioned, didn't refer linguistically to what is nowadays the common meaning of it as one of the mosque architectural elements. Muslim scholars' opinions varies about whether to have or not a niched Mihrab in mosques. However, Mihrab as a significant architectural element of the mosque is considered as a main station on the way of the architectural civilization in general and Islamic art particularly.
Minbar (Platform) This term ( ث ش) is derived from the Arabic verb,( ث ش) as ( اىش ء (إ رثش means it rises up; as the Minbar is a raised level surface (platform) where Imam would stand and sit, it is used for Fridays, feasts (EIDs) and occasions. In Al-Sunan of Al-Baihaqi there was a tale based on Abdullah Bin Omar said that when the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) got old and weak, Tamim Al- Dari asked him to have a Minbar to support his body, the Prophet agreed and Tamim made him a durable wooden Minbar and it was made of two steps for raising up and the third one was for seat. In this way the prophetic Minbar was simple in shape and firm.
In the following eras, Minbar form had evolved and became of two triangular sides that represent the sides of the rising stair that ends with the seat of the Imam. Minbar could be mobile so it would be kept in a room behind the Qibla Wall so it won't interfere with worshipers' rows when it's not in use. Minbars could be made of wood, marble or stone. Wooden Minbars are totally composed of wooden parts, and the oldest existed wooden Minbar in Arab worldis the Minbar of Qairawan Mosque. The marble Minbars are those which were built and cladded with marble, and parts of the oldest one of them in Egypt were found in Al-Khutairi mosque and now kept in the Islamic museum,.
,another famous example is the Minbar of Sultan Hasan Madrasa, both of these Minbars are from the Bahriyya Mamluk era. of Mihrab facing the right side of the worshiper when he face Qibla. As for the Stone Minbars, only two examples are left with ornaments that are similar to those of the wooden Minbars, the first one is in Khanqah Faraj Bin Barquq, and the other one in Shaikhun Mosque. Minbar and Mihrab are strongly related to eachother; Al-Zarkashi in his mentioned (إعال اىغاجذ تأدنا اى غاجذ ( that it is desirable to locate the Minbar on the left side Details The Minbar of Sultan Hassan Al- Rakhmi School (1362 AD-764 AH)
Mubbaligh Deka (Terrace) and Quran Chair Deka (terrace) is a raised level surface on which people can sit. Deka exists on mosques for the Mubbaligh (the one who repeated the Imam's calls during the prayer to let them reach the rear rows, as the loudspeakers weren't available in the former eras). Deka was also used as a seat for the Quran and prayers recitation choir.
The position of Deka in mosques varies, sometimes it was located in Qibla aisle particularly in mosques that have aisles; or in the end of Qibla Iwan in mosques with iwans. In both cases, it is located on the same Mihrab axis. Deka mostly is made of wood and rest on marble columns and be reached by a wooden staircase with a low wooden handrail. In Mamluk period, marble dekas were common, one of their oldest examples is the one that exists in Almas Al-hajib mosque, another example of them is the one in Sultan Hasan Madrasa; while the stone dekas that rest on wooden columns we can see an example of them in Shekho An-Nasiri mosque.
In Ottoman reign the deka was located on the opposed wall that face Qibla wall, and reached it through a high stair; it was made of wood and rest on columns or like the one in )م ات و ( Suleiman Pasha mosque in the citadel. Quran Chair, exists in Masjids, and used as a seat for the Quran reader who recites Quran before Friday's prayer, it has two or three steps that are separated from it. It also has a low wooden handrail, with geometrical ornaments carved in its sides. One of its examples is the one in Sultan Hasan Madrasa.