محراب

Arabic

Etymology

Borrowed from Old South Arabian 𐩣𐩢𐩧𐩨 (mḥrb) attested several times for a certain architectural feature of a palace or court, and for a “part of a temple where 𐩩𐩢𐩧𐩨 (tḥrb) oracles are obtained”, compare 𐩩𐩢𐩧𐩨𐩩 (tḥrbt, “votive relief”), 𐩩𐩢𐩧𐩨 (tḥrb, “to obtain a vision or an oracle”), 𐩢𐩧𐩨 (ḥrb, “to obtain an oracle”). Possibly also related to Old South Arabian 𐩣𐩫𐩧𐩨 (mkrb, “sanctuary, temple”), Ge'ez ምኵራብ (məkʷrab, “sanctuary, temple”), Old South Arabian 𐩫𐩧𐩨 (krb, “to carry out instructions”), Old South Arabian 𐩫𐩧𐩨 (krb, “to bless”) = Arabic بَرَّكَ (barraka, “to bless”), Akkadian 𒅗𒊏𒁍 (/⁠karābu⁠/, “to pray”), Hebrew כְּרוּב (kerūḇ, “cherub”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miħ.raːb/ (singular)
• IPA^(key): /ma.ħaː.riːb/ (plural)

Noun

مِحْرَاب • (miḥrāb) m (plural مَحَارِيب (maḥārīb))

1. a high sitting place, private chamber whither people of high standing retreat, closet
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 34:13:

     يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِن مَّحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَاتٍ

     yaʕmalūna lahu mā yašāʔu min mmaḥārība watamāṯīla wajifānin kāljawābi waqudūrin rrāsiyātin

     They made for him what he willed, of closets, bowls, effigies, and standing kettles.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 19:11:

     فَخَرَجَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ مِنَ الْمِحْرَابِ فَأَوْحَى إِلَيْهِمْ أَن سَبِّحُوا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا

     faḵaraja ʕalā qawmihi mina l-miḥrābi faʔawḥā ʔilayhim ʔan sabbiḥū bukratan waʕašiyyan

     And he went out from the chamber to his people and made signs that they shall praise in the morning and evening.

2. a niche in a place of prayer in the praying direction, mihrab
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 3:37:

     كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِنْدَهَا رِزْقًا

     kullamā daḵala ʕalayhā zakariyyā l-miḥrāba wajada ʕindahā rizqan

     Whenever Zacharias entered upon her in the miḥrāb he encountered her with provisions.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 3:39:

     فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ

     fanādathu l-malāʔikatu wahuwa qāʔimun yuṣallī fī l-miḥrābi

     So the angels called him while prayed standing in the miḥrāb.

Declension

Declension of noun مِحْرَاب (miḥrāb)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مِحْرَاب miḥrāb	الْمِحْرَاب al-miḥrāb	مِحْرَاب miḥrāb
Nominative	مِحْرَابٌ miḥrābun	الْمِحْرَابُ al-miḥrābu	مِحْرَابُ miḥrābu
Accusative	مِحْرَابًا miḥrāban	الْمِحْرَابَ al-miḥrāba	مِحْرَابَ miḥrāba
Genitive	مِحْرَابٍ miḥrābin	الْمِحْرَابِ al-miḥrābi	مِحْرَابِ miḥrābi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مِحْرَابَيْن miḥrābayn	الْمِحْرَابَيْن al-miḥrābayn	مِحْرَابَيْ miḥrābay
Nominative	مِحْرَابَانِ miḥrābāni	الْمِحْرَابَانِ al-miḥrābāni	مِحْرَابَا miḥrābā
Accusative	مِحْرَابَيْنِ miḥrābayni	الْمِحْرَابَيْنِ al-miḥrābayni	مِحْرَابَيْ miḥrābay
Genitive	مِحْرَابَيْنِ miḥrābayni	الْمِحْرَابَيْنِ al-miḥrābayni	مِحْرَابَيْ miḥrābay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مَحَارِيب maḥārīb	الْمَحَارِيب al-maḥārīb	مَحَارِيب maḥārīb
Nominative	مَحَارِيبُ maḥārību	الْمَحَارِيبُ al-maḥārību	مَحَارِيبُ maḥārību
Accusative	مَحَارِيبَ maḥārība	الْمَحَارِيبَ al-maḥārība	مَحَارِيبَ maḥārība
Genitive	مَحَارِيبَ maḥārība	الْمَحَارِيبِ al-maḥārībi	مَحَارِيبِ maḥārībi

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: mehrab
• → Middle Armenian: մէհրապ (mēhrap), մեհրաբ (mehrab), մահրապ (mahrap)
• → Persian: محراب (mehrâb)

References

• Dillmann, August (1865) “ምኵራብ”, in Lexicon linguae aethiopicae cum indice latino (in Latin), Leipzig: T. O. Weigel, column 836
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 274
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “محراب”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[1], London: Williams & Norgate, page 541
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 341
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[2] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 52
• Praetorius, Franz (1907) “Äthiopische Etymologien”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎^[3] (in German), volume 61, page 621
• Schwally, Friedrich (1901) “Zur ältesten Baugeschichte der Moschee des ʿamr in Alt-Kairo”, in Straßburger Festschrift zur XLVI. Versammlung deutscher Philologen und Schulmänner, , herausgegeben von der philosophischen Fakultät der Kaiser Wilhelms-Universität‎^[4], Karl. J. Trübner, page 110
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “محراب”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[5] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 242
• Wellhausen, Julius (1897) Reste arabischen Heidentumes‎^[6] (in German), Berlin: Georg Reimer, page 232

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Persian

Etymology

From Arabic مِحْرَاب (miḥrāb)

Noun

محراب • (mehrâb) (plural محراب‌ها (mehrâb-hâ))

1. mihrab