minaret

minaret
minareted, adj.
/min'euh ret", min"euh ret'/, n.
a lofty, often slender, tower or turret attached to a mosque, surrounded by or furnished with one or more balconies, from which the muezzin calls the people to prayer.
[1675-85; < F minaret, Sp minarete, or It minaretto Ar manarah lighthouse, perh. akin to nar fire]

* * *

 (Arabic: “beacon”), in Islāmic religious architecture, the tower from which the faithful are called to prayer five times each day by a muezzin, or crier. Such a tower is always connected with a mosque and has one or more balconies or open galleries. At the time of the Prophet Muḥammad, the call to prayer was made from the highest roof in the vicinity of the mosque. The earliest minarets were former Greek watchtowers and the towers of Christian churches. The oldest minaret in North Africa is at al-Qayrawān, Tunisia. It was built between 724 and 727 and has a massive square form.

      Minarets are constructed in a wide variety of forms ranging from thick, squat spiral ramps, as at Samarra, Iraq (built 848–852), to soaring, delicate, pencil-thin spires. Often the minaret is square at the base, where it is attached to the mosque. Above this square base it may rise in a series of circular, hexagonal, or octagonal stages, each marked by a projecting balcony. At the top is a bulbous dome, an open pavilion, or a metal-covered cone. The upper parts of the minaret are usually richly decorated with carving. The steps may be internal or external. The number of minarets per mosque also varies, from one to as many as six. These towers were built to be “landmarks of Islām”—to be visible from afar and to stamp a site with Islāmic character.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:
(of a Makometan mosque)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • MINARET — MINARE Dérivé de l’arabe manara , le terme minaret s’appliqua aux tours à feu avant de désigner toutes les tours islamiques et plus particulièrement celles qui, près des mosquées, servent à l’appel à la prière (ma‘dhana); au début de l’islam, cet …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • minaret — MINARÉT, minarete, s.n. Turn înalt alipit unei moschei, amenajat în partea superioară cu un foişor sau cu un balcon, de unde preoţii musulmani cheamă credincioşii la rugăciune; minarea. [var.: (rar) minarétă s.f.] – Din fr. minaret, germ.… …   Dicționar Român

  • minaret — (n.) 1680s, from Fr. minaret, from Turkish minare a minaret, from Arabic manarah, manarat lamp, lighthouse, minaret, related to manar candlestick, derivative of nar fire; Cf. Hebrew ner lamp (see MENORAH (Cf. menorah)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • minaret — 1. (mi na rè ; le t ne se prononce et ne se lie jamais ; au pluriel, l s se lie : des mi na rè z aigus ; minarets rime avec traits, succès, paix, etc.) s. m. 1°   Nom des tours des mosquées, d où les imans avertissent le peuple du temps de la… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • minaret — {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}rz. mnż I, D. u, Mc. minaretecie {{/stl 8}}{{stl 7}} wysoka, smukła wieża meczetu, z której muezin pięć razy w ciągu dnia wzywa muzułmanów na modlitwę : {{/stl 7}}{{stl 10}}Minaret czworoboczny, cylindryczny. Ganek minaretu.… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • minaret — [min΄ə ret′, min′ə ret΄] n. [Fr < Turk menāret < Ar manāra(t), lighthouse, minaret < base of nār, fire] a high, slender tower attached to a mosque, with one or more projecting balconies from which a muezzin, or crier, calls the people to …   English World dictionary

  • Minaret — Min a*ret, n. [Sp. minarete, Ar. man[=a]rat lamp, lantern, lighthouse, turret, fr. n[=a]r to shine.] (Arch.) A slender, lofty tower attached to a mosque and surrounded by one or more projecting balconies, from which the summon to prayer is cried… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Minaret — Minaret, schlanker, turmartiger Bau an Moscheen (s.d.), oben mit einer Galerie, von der aus der Muezzin die Gebetstunden abruft …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Minaret — Minaret, siehe Moschee …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Minaret — Minaret, arab., d.h. Ort des Lichts, der schlanke Thurm an der Seite der Moschee, von welchem der Muezzin 5mal des Tages das Volk zum Gebete aufruft …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • mináret — m (minára, munára ž) arhit. 1. {{001f}}prvobitno naziv za signalne tornjeve i svjetionike 2. {{001f}}isl. toranj džamije s kojeg mujezin poziva muslimane vjernike na molitvu ✧ {{001f}}tur. ← arap …   Veliki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”