Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Mosque

MOSQUE (Jámi‛ or more fully Masjid Jámi‛, the place of congregational prayer). Owing to the almost complete absence of ritual in the Moslem worship, the mosque, at least in its earlier forms, is one of the simplest of all religious buildings,—its normal arrangement being an open court (Ṣaḥn) surrounded by a covered cloister (Líwán), in the centre of which is a cistern for the ablutions requisite before prayer (Míḍa&rsquo;a); the side of the mosque which is towards Mecca is occupied by a roofed building (Maḳṣúra), or place reserved for prayer, sometimes screened off from the court, but frequently quite open towards it. In the centre of this sanctuary is a niche (Miḥráb or Ḳibla) showing the direction of Mecca; and by the side of the niche is a lofty pulpit (Mimbar). In front of the pulpit is a raised platform (Dakka) from which certain exhortations are chanted, and near it one or more seats and lecterns combined from which chapters of the Koran are read to the people.

Minarets (Ma&rsquo;ádhin, sing. Ma&rsquo;dhana) were not built during the first half-century after the Flight, but now as a rule no mosque is without at least one. From the upper gallery of this the Moedhdhin announces to the faithful the times for prayer,—five times during the day, and twice at night. Blind men are generally selected for this office, so that they may not overlook the neighbouring houses.

Most mosques have endowed property, which is administered by a warden (Náẓir), who also appoints the imáms and other officials. The larger mosques have two imáms: one is called (in Arabia and Egypt) the Khatíb, and he preaches the sermon on Fridays (the Moslem Sabbath); the other, the Rátib, reads the Koran, and recites the five daily prayers, standing close to the Miḥráb, and leading the congregation, who repeat the prayers with him, and closely follow his postures. The imáms do not form a priestly sect; they generally have other occupations, such as teaching in a school or keeping a shop, and may at any time be dismissed by the warden, in which case they lose the title of imám. Doorkeepers and attendants, to sweep the floor, trim the lamps, and perform other menial offices, are attached to each mosque, in numbers varying according to its size and endowment. Moslem women, as a rule, are expected to say their prayers at home, but in some few mosques they are admitted to one part specially screened off for them. This is the case in the mosque of Sitta Zainab in Cairo. In the Aḳsá mosque at Jerusalem there is a latticed balcony for the women, who can see without being visible to the male worshippers below.

The greatest possible splendour both of material and workmanship is often lavished on the building and its

fittings. The whole outside is frequently decorated with the most elaborate surface-carving in stone or marble,—the pavement of the richest marbles, inlaid in intricate patterns, the walls panelled in a similar way, or decorated with the most minute mosaics of glass, mother-of-pearl, agates and other costly stones. The central niche and the pulpit are of special magnificence; and, if the latter is of wood, it is often covered with delicate ivory carvings, and inlay of pearl and ebony. Very beautiful surface-ornament, executed in hard stucco, and enriched with gold and colours, is used to decorate arches, wall surfaces, and the pendentives of domes, which latter generally have the so-called &ldquo;stalactite&rdquo; form of ornament—one of great beauty and complexity. The woodwork of doors, screens, and ceilings is frequently very gorgeous with carving, inlay, and elaborate painting; the whole of the doors outside are often covered with very delicate pierced and embossed work in bronze, or more rarely iron. The magnificent tiles from Persia, Damascus, and Khodes, enamelled in brilliant blue, green, and red, on a white ground, are often used to cover the walls. Traceried windows in pierced marble or stucco work often occur; these are filled with brilliant coloured glass, always in very small pieces, forming a transparent mosaic of jewel-like richness. Lamps of enamelled glass, or of bronze inlaid with silver, were once common, but are now rapidly disappearing.

Some mosques, especially the Karúbin mosque at Fez in Morocco, possess a collection of magnificent illuminated MSS., chiefly copies of the Koran and other religious books; in the large collection at Fez, MSS. of Aristotle's Natural History, with the works of Averroes and other commentators, exist in considerable number; some few of the MSS. are as early as the 10th century.

Plans of Mosques.—Considerable diversities exist in the plan and arrangement of mosques in various countries, either because the Moslem conquerors adopted to some extent the existing buildings and architecture of the conquered people, or on account of the new mosque being built on a site already cramped by surrounding buildings. The first of these causes influenced to some extent the mosques of India, and to a much greater extent those of European Turkey. The second cause, the cramped site, especially in Cairo, created a special type of plan. Nevertheless, when free from such disturbing influences, there is one normal plan adopted, at least in early times, by the Moslems in all countries—from India to Cordova, and from northern Syria to Egypt. This normal plan is a very simple one, and is the natural product of a country like Arabia, unskilled in architecture, where land was worth but little, and timber very scarce. (See fig. 1.)

(J. H. M.)