Maqsurah
Encyclopedia
Maqsurah (literally “closed-off space”), an enclosure, a box or wooden screen near the Mihrab
or the center of the qiblah wall, which was originally designed to shield a worshiping ruler from assassins. The imam officiating inside the maqsurah typically belonged to the same school of law to which the ruler belonged.
There also may have been some spiritual connotation similar to the chancel screen in churches. They were often wooden screens decorated with carvings or interlocking turned pieces of wood (mashrabiyya).
Historically, it was first innovated by Muawiya I, Umayyid caliph, in Umayyad Mosque
. The Companions Mihrab belonged to the Maqsura of the Companions.
Mihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
or the center of the qiblah wall, which was originally designed to shield a worshiping ruler from assassins. The imam officiating inside the maqsurah typically belonged to the same school of law to which the ruler belonged.
There also may have been some spiritual connotation similar to the chancel screen in churches. They were often wooden screens decorated with carvings or interlocking turned pieces of wood (mashrabiyya).
Historically, it was first innovated by Muawiya I, Umayyid caliph, in Umayyad Mosque
Umayyad Mosque
The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus or formerly the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist , is located in the old city of Damascus, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world...
. The Companions Mihrab belonged to the Maqsura of the Companions.