mihrab means A niche in a mosque that indicates the qibla (direction of Mecca), and into which the imam prays. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
Why “mihrab” is a great word
MIHRAB — [Noun] An architectural niche in a mosque, marking the qibla, the direction of prayer toward Mecca. Borrowed from Arabic مِحْرَاب (miḥrāb), which is probably from Old South Arabian *mḥrb*, denoting a part of a temple, from the root *ḥrb* (to fight, perform a certain ritual in a temple). First recorded in English 1810–20. Unlike a *minbar* (the pulpit for sermons) or the *qibla* (the abstract direction itself), the mihrab is the silent, architectural gesture that materializes that holy bearing. It is the concave focus where light pools deepest, the intricate tilework that draws the eye from every corner, the empty arch that frames the worshiper’s deepest intention—a void made sacred by the orientation it provides.
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic مِحْرَاب (miḥrāb).
noun
- A niche in a mosque that indicates the qibla (direction of Mecca), and into which the imam prays.“Certainly there are nagging undertones of regret to the greatest of the Islamic monuments of Spain, the Great Mosque of Córdoba, for now that its mihrab has been demoted to be a mere curiosity, […].”
- A design in a Muslim prayer mat with the same function.