A semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca (qibla) for prayer. It serves as the focal point for congregational worship and is often elaborately decorated with calligraphy and geometric patterns.
From Arabic miḥrāb, originally meaning 'a place of fighting' or 'battlefield,' later evolving to mean a sacred space or sanctuary. The architectural meaning developed as Islamic religious practices formalized in the 7th-8th centuries CE.
The mihrab's evolution from 'battlefield' to 'prayer niche' reflects Islam's transformation from a militant movement to an established religion with standardized worship practices. Every mosque worldwide, from Spain's Córdoba to Indonesia's grand mosques, contains this unifying architectural element that literally orients over a billion people toward the same geographic point daily!
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