Mihrab is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla. The most important element in any mosque is the mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of Mecca. Because it functions as the focal point in prayer ritual, its decoration was executed with great skill and devotion. The wall in which a mihrab appears is thus the “qibla wall.”
Mihrabs should not be confused with the minbar, which is the raised platform from which an Imam (leader of prayer) addresses the believers.
The term Mihrab was used by the prophet Muhammad to denote his own private prayer room. The room additionally provided access to the adjacent mosque, and the Prophet would enter the mosque through this room. This original meaning of mihrab is a special room in the house continues to be preserved in some forms of Judaism where mihrabs are rooms used for private worship. In the Qur’an (xix.11), the word mihrab refers to a sanctuary/place of worship.
Today, Mihrabs vary in size but all of them are ornately decorated and often designed to give the impression of an arched doorway or a passage to Mecca.
Each Mihrab has its own unique elements but the each of them have colorful ornaments, mosaic of various geometric and floral patterns and inscriptions.
The Mihrab in the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque is an architectural attraction. When entering the mosque, this architectural piece of beauty will steal the spotlight for sure.
The Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque also features other architectural attractions such as the dome of a mosque, symbolic representation of heaven; and minbar which is located to the right of the mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of prayer.
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