Page - 30 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/02

30 | Mirko Roth www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/2, 17–35 or as religious communication.31 in this experimental undertaking of analysis, reduction and abstraction, it becomes quite obvious that a sensual-medial re- duction is made that creates a medial and sensual distance between first-order and second-order mediatisation, a fact that should be noted. the formalised prayer process can be easily subdivided into separate se- quences and ritual elements, which can be a helpful teaching tool, for it reveals the course of the ritual and also makes it easy to identify these elements in oth- er spheres of islamic practice, such as pilgrimages. a variety of pictures, images, diagrams and audio-visual media from various first-order manuals and from the internet (whose respective production backgrounds should be critically exam- ined) can support the teaching/learning process. as a crystallised allegory of a religious “space of perception”, the mosque is a witness to the variety and cultural diversity of islamic traditions. Large-format images and photographs of many mosques are easily accessible and present- able, from West african clay mosques to North african court mosques, domed turkish mosques, iranian four-iwan mosques and Chinese pagoda mosques. This variety shows all too clearly that the ideal of a unified Islamic tradition is a mere fantasy and that the tradition always incorporates variously encoded medial expressions of local cultures and societies. didactically interesting is the possibility of showing selected photos of the mosque that will be visited and reflecting on the limits and perspectivity of the medium of photography. In this context, for example, one can discuss how media can direct the gaze and con- struct particular perspectives or what sensual and medial discrepancies emerge between first-order and second-order mediatisations. For purposes of historical classification, to my mind, it is sufficient to say that, although no particular or in a comparative religious studies sense specifically sanctified space is necessary for performing the s.alāt, Muhammad’s house in Medina was the first mosque and the prototype for later structures. This build- ing combined living spaces with diplomatic, social and charitable aspects, as well as serving for communal prayer. From this point of departure, different regional building types have emerged, which can be discussed using the above- mentioned photographs and floor plans. What students should know before the excursion should include basic ele- ments of and possible symbolic points of reference in a mosque’s interior. the core and most necessary elements of a mosque include, besides the basin for the preliminary ritual washing (wud.ū’), the qibla-wall with its niche (mih.rāb) in- dicating the Kaaba and direction of prayer toward Mecca and a pulpit (minbār) for the friday sermon. Considering how simple the s.alāt is and how meagre a 31 Cf. Roth 2016, esp. 151–162.