mosque, Arabic masjid or jāmiʿ, any house or open area of prayer in Islam. ... The miḥrāb, a semicircular niche reserved for the imām to lead the prayer, points to the qiblah—i.e., the direction of Mecca. The minbar, a seat at the top of steps placed at the right of the miḥrāb, is used by the preacher (khaṭīb) as a pulpit. The mosque, masjid in Arabic, is the Muslim gathering place for prayer. Masjid simply means “place of prostration.” Though most of the five daily prayers ..