This nook indicates the direction of the Ka'aba, the cube-shaped building in Mecca that is the most sacred site in Islam. All mosques are built facing the Ka'aba, and Muslims should always face in this direction while praying.

Are mosques built facing Mecca?

The qibla wall is the wall in a mosque that faces Mecca. The mihrab is a niche in the qibla wall indicating the direction of Mecca; because of its importance, it is usually the most ornate part of a mosque, highly decorated and often embellished with inscriptions from the Qur'an (see image 4).

What direction do all mosques face?

In Islam the sacred direction is towards Mecca, or more precisely, towards the sacred Kaaba in Mecca. Muslims face this direction in prayer and during various other ritual acts. Muslim astronomers from the 9th century onwards dealt with the determination of the qibla, as the sacred direction is called in Arabic.