A niche in the wall of a mosque which indicates the qibla (direction of the Kaaba in Mecca) and is usually covered by a wall hanging. Some of the earliest niches were constructed in Damascus and Mecca during the eight century CE, under the reign of the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I. From the Old South Arabian mhrb (palace) or the Ethiopian mekwrab (temple or sanctuary).
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A long, rigid hydraulic structure constructed perpendicular to the seashore or riverbank to interrupt flow of water. They are usually…
An architectural term used to denote a pillar that emerges at an angle in a building or a structure.
Mosque in Istanbul, Turkiye, built in 1851 to house the cloak relic of Prophet Muhammad, from which it receives its…
A beam, window or door frame that rises above the stamba or column to provide additional support to the structure.…
Longitudinal beam along the top of a pitched or vaulted roof. The ridge beam is a load-bearing structural member of…
A small antechamber connecting the garbhagriha (inner sanctum) of the temple to its mandapa (pillared hall). It is a feature…
A pillared hallway characteristic of Dravida temple architecture, used for rituals, gatherings and marriage ceremonies. A temple may have one…
A half-open pillared hall in Hindu temples. The ardhamandapa serves as an open porch at the entrance of the temple…