Dictionary of islamic architecture

Further reading:
B.DeCardi, 
Qatar Archaeological Report: Excavations,
Oxford 1973.
G.R.H.Wright, 
The Old Amiri Palace Doha, Qatar,
Qatar
1975.
qibla
Direction of Mecca which determines the direction of
prayer.
The qibla is the prime factor in the orientation of
mosques and is usually marked by a mihrab (or more
in India). Many early mosques were not built to a
correct qibla orientation, as has been demonstrated
in the excavations of the Great Mosque of Wasit,
where three different qibla orientations are recorded.
It is believed that idea of qibla orientation is derived
from the Jewish practice of indicating the direction
of Jerusalem in synagogues.
qubba
Literally ‘dome’, often used to refer to a domed mausoleum
which contains the grave of a saint or some important
personage.
The earliest surviving example of this type of
structure is the Qubbat al-Sulaybiyya at Samarra
which is octagonal. Another early example is the
tomb of Ismail the Samanid in Balkh which is a
square structure with a hemispherical dome. Also
dated to the ninth century are large numbers of
domed mausoleums at Aswan in southern Egypt.
From the eleventh century this type of structure
becomes widespread in the Islamic world and is now
one of the most common building types.
Qusayr Amra
Umayyad bath house complex in the eastern desert of
Jordan famous for its painted frescoes.
The building was probably built by the Umayyad
caliph al-Walid between 712 and 715. It comprises
three main parts, a hall or undressing room, three
heated rooms and a well-house to the-north. The hall
is divided into four parts, the main hall, an alcove
and two small rooms either side. The entire hall
(including the two side rooms) is roofed by three
barrel vaults resting on transverse arches. The walls
of both the main hall and the two side rooms are
covered in frescoes whilst the floors were covered
with marble, except in the side rooms where there
were floor mosaics. The subjects of the frescoes differ
according to their position; thus the main hall is
qibla

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decorated with hunting scenes and semi-naked
women on the soffits of the arches. The alcove is
decorated with six figures representing the defeated
enemies of Islam. The two rooms leading to the hot
room are decorated with bathing women whilst the
dome of the hot room is painted with a representation
of the zodiac. The zodiac representation is the earliest
surviving example of a domed representation of the
stars and is of fundamental importance to the history
of science.
The exact function of Qusayr Amra is not known
although it seems to have been a princely desert retreat
with formal associations (e.g. the audience hall).