Mihrab (Prayer Niche)

Follow the pointed arch upward, then let your eye travel around the broad blue border. White Arabic letters stretch through it, surrounded by turquoise lines and small pieces of contrasting color. The script is part of the work’s meaning as well as its appearance. Qur’anic verses frame the niche, with other texts around the arch and in the center. A mihrab is a prayer niche that indicates the direction of Mecca in its original religious setting. This one came from the Madrasa Imami in Isfahan, Iran. Its inscription dates it to 1354–55. Here in the museum, you are looking at an architectural element removed from that setting. The surface is a mosaic. Craftspeople cut glazed tiles into individual shapes and fitted them into mortar. Curving letters, geometric patterns and plant forms all had to meet along those cut edges. Choose one white letter or one turquoise line and trace its changes of direction. The pattern continues across many separate pieces of tile.