Nave

The nave is the central strip of space in a building divided by rows of columns or piers, lying between the two rows. In a church it runs from the entrance toward the apse; in a mosque it forms the main axis leading to the mihrab. It is usually wider and taller than the side aisles and sets the main direction and hierarchy of the interior.

Role in the structure

In a basilican plan the nave is defined by tall walls carried on the arcades to either side. Because these walls rise above the aisle roofs, windows can be opened high up and the nave is lit from above. The nave may be covered by a timber roof, a barrel vault or a row of domes. Under a vault, the nave’s thrust is taken by the aisle vaults and the outer walls; under a timber roof the load goes more or less straight down into the arcades.

Nave versus side aisle

• Nave: central, wider and usually taller
• Side aisle: either side of the nave, narrower and lower
• Divider: rows of columns or piers with their arches

In multi-aisled Seljuk mosques in Anatolia, the aisle leading to the mihrab is often wider than the others and marked by a dome in front of the mihrab. That difference in width is the quickest way to read the plan.

Survey and 3D modeling

Measure aisle widths together with bay spacing; in historic buildings the column rows are not always parallel. Defining the nave and aisles as separate volumes in a 3D model shows the difference in roof levels clearly in section.