Mosque (Spanish mesquiJa, French mosquee, Ara- bic masjed, " a house of prayer," from sajnda, " to bend, bow, adore") is the name applied in English to an}' Mohammedan house of worship; the larger houses of worship are called by Jloslem " jami"' (places of assem- bling) or "culliyet" (cathedrals). The first mosque was founded by Mohammed at Jlcdina, part of the work be-
mihrab is the menber, or preacher's chair or pulpit ; at one or more corners of the court rise minarets (ij. v.), from which the faithfid are called to prayers. The form of the oldest mosques, which next to those men- tioned are supposed to be those located at Jerusalem (known as Omar's mosque) and Cairo, is evidently de- rived from that of the Christian Basilica, the narthex being the origin of the court with its arcade, and the eastern apse, representing the principal buildings of the mosque, facing Jlecca. The original forms, however, became obliterated in the progress of Jlohammedan ar- chitecture, and the mosques, with their arcaded courts, gateways, domes, and minarets, became the most char- acteristic edifices of Saracenic art. Wherever the Mo- hammedan faith prevaile<l, from Spain to India, beauti- ful examples of these buildings exist. The architect- ural notions of the different countries seem to have ex- erted an influence upon the Moslems, for these mosques differ in the various countries. Thus in India the mosijues have many features in common with the tem- ples of the Jainas, while in Turkey they resemble the Byzantine architecture of Constantinople.
Since the Turkish domination was established in Con- stantinople, the mosques have generally been built after the general type of Santa Sophia (q. v.), having a tlreek cross as the basis of their jjlan, and being enclosed in- stead of hypajthral. Everywhere the dome is one of the leading and most beautiful features of the mosques, which commonly consist of porticos surrounding an open square, in the centre of which is the tank or foun- tain for ablution. In the south-cast is a kind of pul- pit (menber) for the imam; and in the direction in
Great Mosque at Delhi, from the North-east.— From Fergussou s Hami-LoU. of Architecture.
ing done by his own hands. The site was a grave-yard shaded by date-trees, which was selected by the Prophet •because his camel knelt opposite to it on his public entry into tha city. The edifice was square and capacious, the walls of earth and brick, and the roof supported by the trunks of palm-trees and thatched with palm-leaves. It had three doors. A part of the building was assign- ed as a habitation to the poor among the faithful who had no other homes. In this moscpie Mohammed was buried ; and tliough the original edifice was long ago replaced by a larger structure, tlie temple still bears the name of Masjul el-Xibi, '• the ^Ios(iue of the Prophet" (see Wellsted, Cilij of the Ciilip/is, i, 257 sq., 30;3 s(i.). The most sacred mosque is tlio great temple of El-1 lam- ram at Mecca, enclosing the Kaaba (q. v.). For many centuries the mosques were fashioned after this one. It consists of a large court enclosed by colonnades, with a fountain in the centre, where alihitions are made be- fore prayer. On the side towards Mecca the colonnade is deeper. In the centre of this side is a niche (mih- rab), surmounted by a vaulted arch ; by the side of the
which Mecca lies (see Keblah) there is a niche (mihrab), towards which the faithful are reipiircd to pray. Oppo- site the pulpit there is generally a platform (dikkeb) surrounded by a parapet, with a desk bearing the Ko- ran, from which portions are read to the congregation. In the imperial moscpics at Constantinople there is a tribune (makswra), at the ojiposite side from the men- ber and tlie mihrab, reserved for the sole use of the sul- tan. In front of the mihrab is often another tribune (kliAtab), from which the Imam (q. v.) ])ronounce3 ]>rayer, and an elevated sipiare platform (mastabah) from wiiich criers repeat the calls to prayer. The im- perial mosque of Achnit'd in Constantinople is the only mosque that has .^^ix minarets. oxco|)t tiio temple of El- Hamram in ^lecca, to wliich Achmed built a seventh minaret, to quiet the complaint that he was attempting to outvie tliat holy sanctuary.
Many of tlie mosques are adorned with all the charms of the Saracenic and Moorisli arcliitecturc, having texts and passages from the Koran intertwined among the delicate ornamentation, to lead the minils of the faithful
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while waiting for the hour of public prayer. The Turk- ish mosques are generally quite plain in their interior ornamentation, though often very stately and grand in their exterior architectural effect. It is not customary for women to visit the mosques, and if they do they are separated from the male worshippers. The utmost so- lemnity and decorum are preserved during the service, although in the hours of the afternoon (when there is no worship) people are seen lounging, chatting, even en- gaged in tlieir trade, in the interior of the sacred build- ing. On entering the mosque, the Moslem takes otf his shoes, carries them in his left hand, sole to sole, and puts his right foot first over the threshold ; he then per- forms the necessary ablutions, and finishes by putting his shoes and any arms he may have with him upon the matting before him. The congregation generally arrange themselves in rows parallel to that side of the mosque in which is the niche, and facing that siiie. The chief officer of a mosque is tlie Nazir (q. v.), un- der whom are two imams. There are, further, many persons attached to a mosque in a lower capacity, as Mueddins (q. v.), Bowwabs (door-keepers), etc., all of whom are jiaid, not by contributions levied upon the people, but from the funds of the mosque itself. The revenues of mosques are derived from lands. With