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The uniformity was broken only at the culminating point of the mosque - the domed cluster of pillars surrounding the sacred Mihrab , erected under al-Hakam II. The mihrab had two functions in Islamic worship: it indicated the direction of Mecca (and hence of prayer) and it amplified the words of the imam , or prayer leader. At Cordoba it was also of supreme beauty. As Titus Burckhardt wrote, in Moorish Art in Spain : "The design of the prayer niche in Cordoba was used as a model for countless prayer niches in Spain and North Africa. The niche is crowned by a horseshoe-shaped arch, enclosed by a rectangular frame. The arch derives a peculiar strength from the fact that its central point shifts up from below. The wedge-shaped arch stones or voussoirs fan outwards from a point at the foot of the arch and centres of the inner and outer circumferences of the arch lie one above the other. The entire arch seems to radiate, like the sun or the moon gradually rising over the edge of the horizon. It is not rigid; it breathes as if expanding with a surfeit of inner beatitude, while the rectangular frame enclosing it acts as a counterbalance. The radiating energy and the perfect stillness form an unsurpassable equilibrium. Herein lies the basic formula of Moorish architecture." The inner vestibule of the niche (which is roped off - forcing you to risk the wrath of the attendants in getting a glimpse) is quite simple in comparison, with a shell-shaped ceiling carved from a single block of marble. The chambers to either side - decorated with exquisite Byzantine mosaics of gold, rust-red, turquoise and green - constitute the maksura , where the caliph and his retinue would pray.
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