Mihrab

The mihrab, mihrap in Turkish, is the niche set into the qibla wall of a mosque to mark the direction of prayer. The imam leads the prayer standing in front of it, so the mihrab is both the functional and the visual focus of the prayer hall. It usually sits at the centre of the qibla wall, on the main axis, and sets the symmetry of the whole space.

Position and parts

A mihrab is composed much like a monumental portal. Carved borders form an outer frame, a niche recedes in the middle and a muqarnas or fluted hood covers the top. Colonnettes may stand at the sides, with an inscription or a cresting above. In plan the niche can be polygonal or close to a half circle. Cut stone, marble, stucco, glazed tile and timber have all been used, sometimes several in one mihrab.

• Borders and outer frame,
• The mihrab niche,
• Hood (muqarnas, fluted or plain),
• Colonnettes and cresting.

The mihrab in surveys and restoration

Because the mihrab sets the axis and symmetry of the prayer hall, it is one of the reference elements in a measured survey; plans and sections are often tied to the mihrab axis. Decorated surfaces are documented with scaled photographs or photogrammetric orthophotos. On tiled mihrabs missing or replaced tiles are identified, while on stone ones later layers of paint and whitewash are mapped separately. Cleaning and consolidation are carried out by specialist conservators using methods that protect the original surface.