When Muslims pray, they turn towards Mecca. The Islamic term for this direction is qibla. Islamic astronomers created Qibla Finders to indicate the direction prayer. They were objects of function as well as beauty. Here are 17 exquisite Qibla Finders. 1/ Qibla Finder, possibly late 18th century or 19th century View of the Holy Sanctuary at Mecca Medium: lacquer-painted wooden base & lid & metal fittings 2/ Qibla Finder, 19th century, Turkey The interior of the base depicting the Ka'ba, encircled by names of various cities, the interior of the lid with a larger view of Mecca. 3/ Qibla Finder, 1582-1583 (990 AH) (990 AH), Egypt Horizontal sundial, with a depiction of the Ka’ba in the centre. Constructed for the latitude of Istanbul, this is one of the more unusual examples of instruments. 4/ Qibla Finder, 1738–9, Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey The qiblanuma literally means 'showing the direction to the Ka'ba'. The inside lid shows, shows the minarets of the Masji...