- This article is about the type of pulpit. See also Minbar (planet) for the fictional planet from the Babylon 5 setting.
A Minbar (Arabic: منبر) is a pulpit in the mosque where the Imam (leader of prayer) stands to deliver sermons (khutbah خطبه ). The minbar is usually shaped as a small tower with a pointed roof and with a stair leading up to it. It is often richly ornamented, though in its simplest form the minbar is just a small platform with only a few steps. The minbar is located to the right of the mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of prayer (i.e. towards Mecca). In some mosques there is a platform (müezzin mahfili in Turkish) opposite the minbar. That is the place of the assistant of the Imam, the muezzin, stands during prayer. The müezzin recite the answer to the prayer of the Imam. This feature is the Islamic equivalent of the Pulpit found in Christian Churches.
