Architecture
Glossary
| bab | gate |
| burj | fortified tower |
| caravanserai | building that provides shelter for travelers |
| diwan | main hall of a building or palace |
| hammam | public bath |
| haram | sanctuary of a mosque or private quarters of a house |
| khan | a building that functions both as a hostel and a trading center, with stables, store rooms, a mosque and sleeping quarters |
| maqsura | screen which encloses the area of the mihrab and minbar |
| msharabiyya | wooden screen on windows or balconies |
| mihrab | niche in a mosque to indicate direction of prayer |
| minbar | pulpit of a mosque from which prayers or sermons are given |
| malqaf | wind catcher |
| muqarnas | system of projecting niches used as architectural decoration |
| qibla | direction of prayer in a mosque toward Mecca |
| riwaq | arcade open on at least one side |
| serdab | sunken courtyard opening on to underground rooms used to escape the heat of the day |
| serai | Turkish word for palace |
| squinch | small arch in the corner of a room that converts a square space into an octagonal space and is often covered with a dome |
| waqf | charitable endowment for the upkeep of religious, educational institutions |
| zawiya | a corner, often a place where a holy man lived and was buried |
| ziyada | addition or extension to a mosque common to early congregational mosques |
| hypostyle | any structure having a ceiling resting upon columns; a pillared hall |