Exam II Islamic Architecture

Question 1

a large, vaulted chamber whose pointed-arch opening is set in a rectangular frame. A
form that served to mark the entry to a royal reception hall in Persian palaces.

Answer 1

Iwan

Question 2

an empty niche set into the far wall. Marks the qibla and corresponds with the
Christian apse

Answer 2

Mihrab

Question 3

A tower forming part of a mosque and serving as a place from which the faithful are
called to prayer.

Answer 3

Minaret

Question 4

a suitable place for congregational prayer, a mosque (from the Arabic masjid, “place
for bowing down”).

Answer 4

Mosque

Question 5

A form of decorative vaulting in Islamic architecture. The surface of a vault or dome is subdivided into niche-like cells that have no load-bearing function

Answer 5

Muqarnas

Question 6

the wall in a mosque that faces the direction of Mecca, (the direction Muslims face
during prayer)

Answer 6

Qibla