A raised platform or pulpit in a mosque from which the imam delivers sermons (khutbah) during Friday prayers. It typically features a staircase leading to a seat or platform, often elaborately carved from wood or stone.
From Arabic minbar, derived from the root n-b-r meaning 'to be elevated' or 'raised up.' The concept originated in the early Islamic period when Prophet Muhammad used a simple wooden platform to address his followers in Medina.
The world's oldest surviving minbar, dating to 1058 CE in Kairouan, Tunisia, represents nearly a thousand years of continuous Islamic preaching tradition. These pulpits became symbols of political authority—conquering rulers would often replace the existing minbar to assert their legitimacy over newly captured territories!
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