Mosque: masjid. Prophet Mohammed gathered his earliest followers with his family for Friday prayers: masjid al-jami.
Mosque DetailsMohammed’s mosque at Medina was simple. A large courtyard, planted with Palm trees provided shade for the gathered congregation. The direction of the Mecca was delineated by the Qibla wall.
Mosques were intended for use by the entire local population and therefore needed to be big enough to fit everyone in – and – not in a standing-space area. A mosque: means a place of prostration. Muslims do so in veneration of God.
The QiblaThe Qibla is a wall in the direction of prayer towards the Kaaba, the most hallowed site for the Islamic faith. Muslims always pray in the direction of the Kaaba. This can be likened to: Christians praying in the direction of the altar inside a Christian Church.
The Mihrab The Mihrab: a recess in the Qibla wall. Many Mosques have Mihrab domes which are often shell-shaped. Acoustics of the Imam are accentuated by the Mihrab hollow. Mihrabs are often beautifully decorated. They are the focal point of “which direction where to pray.”
The Calling for the FaithfulJews remind their faithful using a ram’s horn; Christians by ringing a bell. From a dream came the Islamic concept of calling the faithful to prayer. Someone with excellent voice cadence was tasked to do this. These men became Mosque officials and were known as Muezzins. In the earliest days of Islam, the calling was done from the roof of the Mosque.
The MinaretMinarets were symbolic of Islam. Many were built at great heights. Their presence became landmarks for travelling desert caravans. Possibly, the Architectural conceptual blueprint of Minarets’ was based on the ancient lighthouse Pharos in Alexandria (Egypt), built in 280 BC and destroyed by a 14th century earthquake. Pharos was always considered one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World.
The first mosque to incorporate “Minarets” was the Great Mosque of Damascus. After the 9th century mosques were habitually constructed, including the Minaret as part of its structure. Nowadays, busy city traffic and overcrowding, drowns the voice of the Muezzin and thus, has to broadcast using a microphone.
Ablution FountainsWudu: partial ablution of body parts. Acts of Ablutions are a symbolic custom for cleansing the body of impurities. Wudu is required of Muslims prior to entering a Mosque for prayers. Wudu involves the washing of the arms – up to the elbows, hands, legs – up to the ankles, feet, 1/4th of a head and face-washing. Ablution fountains are located in the exterior courtyards of Islamic Mosques.
The First al-Andalus MonumentIslam spread and reached the Iberian Peninsular in 711AD. Construction of the first Islamic al-Andalus monument began under the rule of Emir Abd ar-Rahman 1 in 747 AD. The structure and dcor was always added to, by the ruling al-Andalusi Emirs or Caliphs in honour of its founder, over an extended period of the next three hundred years. Today, it is visited and admired by thousands. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the most important monuments of Hispano-Moorish Art and Architecture of Medieval Times.
