Iran, Isfahan, in the style of the Safavid period (1501–1722) / c. 1500s or mid-1900s
Prayer Niche (Mihrab)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Prayer Niche (Mihrab) as ceramic (Iran, Isfahan, in the style of the Safavid period (1501–1722) · c. 1500s or mid-1900s).
Every mihrab is oriented toward Mecca.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as ceramic mosaic.
The museum's collection notes: The prayer niche (or mihrab in Arabic) is the focal point in the interior of a mosque, located in the qibla wall that faces Mecca, the holy city of Islam. Verses from the holy Qur’an, written in a form of Arabic script called thuluth , surround the mihrab. The inscription is rendered with white glaze, while the continuous arabesque vine behind the Qur’anic text is executed in gold, turquoise, and green—the color of the Prophet Muhammad and of paradise. The inscription is from the Chapter of Light ( Surah An-Nur ): “Allah is the light of the Heavens and the Earth. His Light is like a niche in which is a lamp—the lamp enclosed in glass—the glas
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPrayer Niche (Mihrab)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.