mihrab

mih·rab  (mîrb)

n. Islam

1. A niche in the wall of a mosque or a room in the mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca.

2. A niche design in the middle of a Muslim prayer rug, pointed toward Mecca during worship.

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[Arabic mirb, probably from Old South Arabian mrb, part of a temple, from rb, to fight, perform a certain ritual in a temple; see rb in Semitic roots.]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mihrab - (Islam) a design in the shape of niche in a Muslim prayer rug; during worship the niche must be pointed toward Mecca pattern, design, figure - a decorative or artistic work; "the coach had a design on the doors" prayer mat, prayer rug - a small rug used by Muslims during their devotions Mohammedanism, Muhammadanism, Muslimism, Islam, Islamism - the monotheistic religious system of Muslims founded in Arabia in the 7th century and based on the teachings of Muhammad as laid down in the Koran; "Islam is a complete way of life, not a Sunday religion"; "the term Muhammadanism is offensive to Muslims who believe that Allah, not Muhammad, founded their religion"
	2.	mihrab - (Islam) a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca mosque - (Islam) a Muslim place of worship that usually has a minaret niche, recess - an enclosure that is set back or indented Mohammedanism, Muhammadanism, Muslimism, Islam, Islamism - the monotheistic religious system of Muslims founded in Arabia in the 7th century and based on the teachings of Muhammad as laid down in the Koran; "Islam is a complete way of life, not a Sunday religion"; "the term Muhammadanism is offensive to Muslims who believe that Allah, not Muhammad, founded their religion"