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The courtyard (sahn) of a mosque normally precedes and gives access to the interior prayer hall that stands on the qibla side (the side corresponding to the direction of prayer). [ 7 ] [ 1 ] Most mosque courtyards ( sahn ) contained a public fountain where Muslims performed wudu , a ritual ablution (purification) required before prayer . [ 8 ]
A ṣaḥn (Arabic: صحن) is the formal courtyard found in almost every mosque in Islamic architecture. The courtyards are open to the sky and surrounded on all sides by structures with halls and rooms, and often a shaded semi-open arcade riwaq .
Symmetrically-divided courtyard gardens, later known as a riyad (or riad), would go on to become a typical feature of western Islamic architecture in the Maghreb and al-Andalus, including later Andalusi palaces such as the Aljaferia and the Alhambra. [32] [33] [30]
The four-iwan plan (cruciform) is one of the most characteristic floor plans of Islamic architecture, [34] [40] consisting of four iwans arranged around a central square or rectangular courtyard (durqāʿa or ṣaḥn), with the iwans aligned with the central axes of the courtyard.
Unlike Islamic architecture further east, western Islamic architecture did not make prominent use of large vaults and domes. [ 2 ] : 11 Even as Muslim rule ended on the Iberian Peninsula, the traditions of Moorish architecture continued in North Africa as well as in the Mudéjar style in Spain, which adapted Moorish techniques and designs for ...
Its perimeter, of about 405 metres (1,329 ft), contains a hypostyle prayer hall, a marble-paved courtyard and a square minaret. In addition to its spiritual prestige, [3] the Mosque of Uqba is one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture, [4] [5] [6] notable among other things for the first Islamic use of the horseshoe arch.
Courtyard of the Friday Mosque in Isfahan, with its four-iwan layout dating from the early 12th century. The most important religious monument from the Great Seljuk period is the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, which was expanded and modified by various Seljuk patrons in the late 11th century and early 12th century.
The arches and columns of the surrounding portico are arranged in a complex pattern of single columns alternating with groups of two or three columns, a design that was unique in Islamic architecture. [170] Two ornate pavilions stand at the east and west sides of the courtyard, while the centre is occupied by the famed Fountain of the Lions.