On the picture: A secondary mihrab (prayer niche) in the porch on the north side of the Nişancı Mehmet Paşa mosque, with a calligraphic inscription above it. Classical Ottoman, 1584-1588.

The porch is also the ‘son cemaat yeri’ (= ‘area for those who came late’), where worshippers who reached the mosque late or at the last moment, will gather and fulfil their prayer duty. The secondary mihrabs help them feel connected with the people inside.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.