Editing Mosque (section)

===Mihrab===
[[File:Mihrab Medina.JPG|thumb|upright|Mihrab in [[Al-Masjid an-Nabawi]], [[Medina]], Saudi Arabia]]

A ''[[mihrab|miḥrāb]]'', also spelled as ''mehrab'' is a semicircular [[Niche (architecture)|niche]] in the wall of a mosque that faces the ''[[qibla]]h'' (i.e. the "front" of the mosque); the imam stands in this niche and leads prayer. Given that the imam typically stands alone in the frontmost row, this niche's practical effect is to save unused space.{{sfn|Kuban|1974|p=4}} The ''[[minbar]]'' is a [[pulpit]] from which the Friday sermon is delivered. While the ''minbar'' of Muhammad was a simple chair, later it became larger and attracted artistic attention. Some remained made of wood, albeit exquisitely carved, while others were made of marble and featured [[frieze]]s.{{sfn|Kuban|1974|pp=5-6}}