Jean Sauvaget has attempted to trace the origin of
Jean Sauvaget has attempted to trace the origin of it, using as evidence early Egyptian sources calling them "mujawwaf." Archeologists' have found the earliest representation of it on an Umayyad coin found in Syria, while Creswell controversially places the earliest one at a site at Khassaki built by Al Mansur. The first one was built by al-Walid, while the Fath-al-Bari describes its original meaning as "a place of kings." The one in the Mezquita of Cordoba is non-standard-Abd ar-Rahman was said to have built it imagining himself still in Damascus.  Originally described as a special room in the Quran, it marks the location of the Qibla. For 10 points, identify this portion of a mosque, literally meaning "niche," that indicates the direction of Mecca and thus which way prayers should face.
Jean Sauvaget has attempted to trace the origin of it, using as evidence early Egyptian sources calling them "mujawwaf."
mihrab