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Mihrab

We find the Mihrab in the area of the Maqsurah, located in the central area of the qibla wall. Positioned between the doors to the treasury chamber and the Sabat, it is a focal point for the contribution made by Al-Hakam II to the Aljama. However, it is not only a place indicating the direction of prayer. It is also where the constructive development of this expansion converges, the area where the visitor, amazed by its richness and artistry, directs their gaze.

The Mihrab is no longer just a simple niche but is created as a place to project, becoming a small octagonal room covered by a scallop shell dome. It rises up from a marble plinth which is surrounded by a quranic surah and an inscription alluding to the creators of the work. At the top, on the wall panels, trefoil blind arches are found along with an abundant decoration of stylised plant motifs.

Its entrance is structured through a canted horseshoe arch where we find the mosaic decoration which links to the Byzantium tradition, produced by the craftsmen sent by Emperor Nicephorus II. These mosaics extend along the voussoirs with a geometric and plant-based design, but also in the inscriptions which record verses from the Koran. Added to the richness provided by the mosaics are the boards of stylised plant motifs which display the thematic motif of the "tree of life".

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