Maksoorah

In a mosque, an area which is enclosed by a screen or partition and which is reserved for prayer or surrounds a tomb.

Mandorla

 

  

Manueline Architecture

The last phase of Gothic architecture in Portugal, named after King Manuel I (1495- 1521).

  

Maqsura

An enclosure in a mosque which includes the praying niches, made usually of an openwork screen; originally meant for the sultan during public prayers.

Marble

A a metamorphic rock typically composed of calcite or dolomite or in some cases serpentine. Numerous minerals may be present in minor to significant amounts in marbles their presence and distribution account for much of the distinctive appearance that many marbles possess. Marble is used for flooring, decorative finishes, furnishings and artwork in PraiseBuildings throughout the world.

Martyrium

A place where the relics of a martyr are deposited.

 

Mashrabiyya

(Arabic) Interlaced latticework in wood set in doors and shutters.

Mascaron

The representation of a face, a human or partly human head used as an architectural ornament.

 

Mausoleum

 

  

Mechitzah

The divider of wood, metal or cloth used to separate the men's' and women's section of an Orthodox synagogue.

  

Medallion

An ornamental plaque, usually oval or square, but may be of any other form on which is represented an object in relief, such as a figure, head, flower, applied to a wall frieze, or other architectural member.

 

Medallion Molding

A molding consisting of a medallion or series of medallions typically found on ceilings.

Medieval Architecture

The summary term for the architecture of the European Middle ages from the 5th to the 15th century in particular in the Byzantine, pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic.

 

Mega-Church

 

Memorial

A architectural or sculptural object or plaque commemorating a person or an event.

  

Memorial Arch

An arch commemorating a person or event, popular during the Roman Empire and again at the time of Napoleon and beyond.

Memorial Park

A cemetery usually having grave markers flush with the ground in large open meadows bordered by groves of trees.

Memorial Plate

A metal plate which is typically attached by small screws to an object to recognize the donor of the object, or a funder to the organization or building.

 

Mezuzah

A small roll of parchment containing certain biblical verses, generally inserted in a case, and affixed to the doorposts in a Synagogue or Jewish House.

Mihrab

A niche in the mosque or any religious Muslim building indicating the direction of prayer toward Mecca.