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| Mihrab from a religious school dated a.h. 755 / a.d. 1354–55 Iran, Isfahan Mosaic of polychrome-glazed cut tiles on stonepaste body, set into mortar; 1351⁄16 x 11311⁄16 in. (343.1 x 288.7 cm), Wt. 4,500 lbs. (2041.2 kg) Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1939 (39.20) |
Visual Analysis:
This mihrab is decorated with inscriptions on a
background of cobalt blue, turquoise, golden yellow,
white, and dark green tile mosaic.
The outermost rectangular band contains cursive verses from the Qur’an (9:14–22) describing God as all-knowing and omnipresent. The frame around the niche is decorated with arabesque designs outlined in blue and interspersed with floral blossoms.
An inscription from the hadith (Sayings of the Prophet), written in angular kufic script along the edge of the pointed arch, describes the Five Pillars of Islam.
At the center of the mihrab, directly facing the worshippers, an inscription reads: “The Prophet, may peace be upon him, said, ‘the mosque is the abode of the pious.’”
The outermost rectangular band contains cursive verses from the Qur’an (9:14–22) describing God as all-knowing and omnipresent. The frame around the niche is decorated with arabesque designs outlined in blue and interspersed with floral blossoms.
An inscription from the hadith (Sayings of the Prophet), written in angular kufic script along the edge of the pointed arch, describes the Five Pillars of Islam.
At the center of the mihrab, directly facing the worshippers, an inscription reads: “The Prophet, may peace be upon him, said, ‘the mosque is the abode of the pious.’”
Function
A mihrab is a niche in the wall of a mosque or religious school (madrasa) that indicates the direction of Mecca (qibla), which Muslims face when praying. It is the architectural and symbolic focal point of religious buildings.
Mosques were not the only religious buildings that had
prayer niches—this one comes from a fourteenth-century
religious school (Madrasa Imami) in Isfahan, in presentday
Iran.
Students would have performed their daily
prayers
here, but would also have gone to the communal
mosque
on Fridays. This mihrab
shows that lavish
ornamentation
was
encouraged
rather than shunned, even
in
religious settings.
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