Product Code Database
A sahn (, ), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. (2025). 9780195309911, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195309911 Most traditional have a large central sahn, which is surrounded by a riwaq or arcade on all sides.
Historically, because of the warm Middle Eastern climate, the courtyard also served as overflow to accommodate the larger number of worshippers that came during . However, the hot climate could also make the outdoor space uncomfortable. As a result, arcades (rows of arches) that supported roofed galleries, known as riwaqs, were usually added around the other three sides in addition to the prayer hall side.
Other major early mosques, such as the Great Mosque of Kufa, the Great Mosque of Damascus (early 8th century), the Great Mosque of Cordoba (late 8th century), and the Great Mosque of Kairouan (early 9th century) all included courtyards as well. Initially, some of these courtyards – including those in the mosques of Cordoba, of Kairouan, and of Tunis – were not lined with riwaqs (roofed arcades), but these soon became a standard feature for shade. While these examples were all hypostyle mosques, courtyards also remained a feature in later types of mosques. The four-iwan layout, common in Iran and Central Asia, involved four and other halls arranged around a central courtyard. The major domed mosques of Ottoman architecture from the 15th century onward also feature arcaded courtyards preceding their prayer halls.
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