The Anatomy of a Mosque

The mosque itself is a "four-iwan type," which consists iwans surrounding a courtyard. Iwans are vaulted spaces that open onto the courtyard on one side.

Among the new variations that this mosque introduced on the four-iwan theme is an entrance from the street that opens directly onto one of the iwans. 

The mausoleum, or burial place, actually predates the mosque and was integrated into the cross-shaped plan. The nearby Mausoleum of Ahmad al-Mihmandar served as a prototype.  

The east iwan houses the mihrab, a niche in the wall which indicates the direction of Mecca, where Muslims pray towards. This is also where the prayer-leader gives his sermons from the minbar, or pulpit.  

A staircase in the southwest corner leads to the minaret, a tall tower where the muezzin, or crier, calls Muslim to prayer.

The ablution area at the north end of the mosque includes fountains where Muslims can perform their ritualistic washing before prayer.