QIBLA

also spelled Qiblah, or Kiblah, Arabic Qiblah, the direction of the sacred shrine of the Ka'bah in Mecca, toward which Muslims turn five times each day when performing the salat (daily ritual prayer). Soon after Muhammad's emigration (hegira, or hijrah) to Medina in 622, he indicated Jerusalem as the qibla, probably influenced by Jewish tradition. When JewishMuslim relations no longer seemed promising, Muhammad changed the qibla to Mecca. The qibla is used not only for prayer but also for burial; the dead, including slaughtered animals, are interred facing Mecca. In a mosque, the qibla is indicated by the mihrab, a niche in the mosque's interior wall facing Mecca.