Minbar
DEFINITION
In Islamic tradition, the pulpit found near the qiblah wall in a mosque used by the Imam (prayer leader) for sermons and prayer. Minbars are made of wood, stone, marble and alabaster, and usually richly decorated.(pr. MEEN-bahr)Examples:Egypt, Cairo, Mihrab and Minbar of the Mosque of Sultan Hasan, 1356-1360. The liwan, or niche to the right of the mihrab, is the mihrab. This side of the mosque is used as a madrasa by the Shafi, one of the four schools of Islamic legal and theological thought.Also see dikka, mihrab, and minaret.