Sahn
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Template:Arab culture A sahn (Template:Langx, Script error: No such module "lang".), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque.[1][2][3][4] Most traditional mosques have a large central sahn, which is surrounded by a riwaq or arcade on all sides.
Etymology
The word sahn (صَحْن) means a courtyard in Arabic.[5] But more commonly it means "plate", "dish".[6]
Form
The courtyard (sahn) of a mosque normally precedes and gives access to the interior prayer hall that stands on the qibla side (the side corresponding to the direction of prayer).[7][1] Most mosque courtyards contained a public fountain where Muslims performed wudu, a ritual ablution (purification) required before prayer.[8] The courtyard could be paved with stones or sometimes planted with trees.[7]
Historically, because of the warm Middle Eastern climate, the courtyard also served as overflow to accommodate the larger number of worshippers that came during Friday prayers.[7] However, the hot climate could also make the outdoor space uncomfortable. As a result, arcades (rows of arches) that supported roofed galleries, known as riwaqs, were usually added around the other three sides in addition to the prayer hall side.[7]
History
The first well-described mosque in Islamic history, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, initially consisted of a rectangular open-air enclosure, to which a roofed area supported by columns was soon added. In the 7th and 8th centuries, the mosque was expanded to become a hypostyle building with a central courtyard.[1]
Other major early mosques, such as the Great Mosque of Kufa,[9] the Great Mosque of Damascus (early 8th century), the Great Mosque of Cordoba (late 8th century), and the Great Mosque of Kairouan (early 9th century) all included courtyards as well.[1] Initially, some of these courtyards – including those in the mosques of Cordoba, of Kairouan, and of Tunis – were not lined with riwaqs (roofed arcades), but these soon became a standard feature for shade.[7] While these examples were all hypostyle mosques, courtyards also remained a feature in later types of mosques. The four-iwan layout, common in Iran and Central Asia, involved four iwans and other halls arranged around a central courtyard. The major domed mosques of Ottoman architecture from the 15th century onward also feature arcaded courtyards preceding their prayer halls.[1]
See also
- durqāʿa: central space in a building
- Index: Islamic architectural elements
References
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- ↑ a b c d e Template:Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition
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