Mosque In The Village Of Jish Gush Khalaf In The Northern Galilee, Israel. Stock Photo

A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. Any act of worship that follows the Islamic rules of prayer can be said to create a mosque, whether or not it takes place in a special building. Informal and open-air places of worship are called musalla, while mosques used for communal prayer on Fridays are known as jāmiʿ. Mosque buildings typically contain an ornamental niche mihrab set into the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca qiblah, ablution facilities and minarets from which calls to prayer are issued. The pulpit minbar, from which the Friday sermon khutba is delivered, was in earlier times characteristic of the central city mosque, but has since become common in smaller mosques. Mosques typically have segregated spaces for men and women. This basic pattern of organization has assumed different forms depending on the region, period and denomination.