A group of college students on a heritage tour visits an old mosque on the south-western coast of India, believed to date from about the thirteenth century. Their guide explains that the Muslim families of this area descend partly from traders from Arabia who settled here many centuries ago and slowly took up the ways of the land. Inside the prayer hall, the students notice a niche set into one wall and, beside it, a raised platform with steps from which sermons are given. Outside, they see that the roof looks very different from the domes they have seen on mosques in Delhi.
The niche and the raised platform the students saw are called, respectively, and what do they show?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Mihrab and minbar; the orientation of mosques towards Mecca
Option (1) Minbar and mihrab; the orientation of mosques towards Mecca — Incorrect. The names are reversed. The niche is the mihrab and the pulpit is the minbar, though orientation towards Mecca is right.
Option (2) Mihrab and minbar; the use of local building materials — Incorrect. The names are in the right order, but these two features are universal. Variation shows in the roofs and building materials.
Option (3) Mihrab and minbar; the orientation of mosques towards Mecca — Correct. The mihrab is the prayer niche and the minbar is the pulpit. Their placement shows the orientation towards Mecca, a universal feature found in every mosque.
Option (4) Minbar and mihrab; the use of local building materials — Incorrect. The names are reversed, and the feature is wrong too. Local building materials show variation.
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