This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in: English, Arabic.
Mihrab (prayer niche)
Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States of America
Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art
About Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai'i
Dated hegira Sha'ban 663 / AD May 1265
48.327
Stonepaste; molded, overglaze-painted in luster, underglaze-painted in cobalt and turquoise
Overall: 384.5 x 228.6 x 21.6 cm
Ilkhanid
Iran, Kashan
This mihrab, nearly 12 feet tall and dated 663/1265, is the masterpiece of the DDFIA collection. It is one of six surviving luster mihrabs made during the Ilkhanid period of rule in Iran (1256–1353) and one of only two of its type outside of Iran. Originally, it was located in the Imamzada Yahya, a tomb of a descendant of a Shi‘ite imam in Veramin, Iran. In the tomb’s prayer sanctuary, the mihrab was located on the qibla wall—the one indicating the direction of Mecca.
"Mihrab (prayer niche)" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;us;Mus22;27;en
MWNF Working Number: US2 27
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