FEATURES OF MOSQUE

A mosque is the place of worship for practicing Muslims. Although design elements vary throughout the world, and the style of a mosque reflects its cultural context, there are certain components to a mosque that are universal. The word for mosque in Arabic is masjid, which comes from the three letter root, س ج د, which means to bow down or bow in worship. ُ

مسجد masjid
:mosque

سجادة sajjada
:prayer rug

قبلة qibla
:qibla- the qibla is a wall that is built on a perpendicular line to Mecca.

محراب mihrab
:mihrab- the mihrab is a recess or a depression in the qibla wall that allows worshippers to know what direct to face when praying. It is often the most decorated.

منبر minbar
:minbar – the minbar is the platform from which the Friday message, the khutba, is delivered.

خطبة khutba
:khutba- the sermon delivered on Friday by the imam.

مئذنة ma’thna
:minaret- a mosque typically has at least one, and often multiple, minarets. The minaret is a tall spire or tower that provides a visual sign from afar to the community as to the location of the mosque, and it is also the place from which the call to prayer was traditonally sung, although now the athan is frequently called from the prayer hall instead (you will recall the post on the five pillars of Islam.)