Muezzin Mahfil

The muezzin mahfil (maksûre) are elevated sections built inside the mosque to protect the muezzins or the imam and caliph. The martyrdom of Hz. Osman while leading prayers in the Prophet's Mosque in 35 AH / 656 AD paved the way for this security measure. The successors of Hz. Osman initiated the mahfil practice to ensure the protection of the imam. The muezzin mahfil in the Prophet's Mosque served as an elevated platform where the muezzin called the adhan and announced the prayer times. In large mosques, muezzin mahfils were also used to facilitate the congregation's following of the imam in a spacious area. During the Ottoman period, the muezzin mahfil in the Prophet's Mosque was renovated at various times. The duties of the muezzins were to accurately determine the prayer times and announce them to the congregation in a timely manner; thus, the mahfil held great importance as the place where this process was carried out. [Source: "Mescid-i Nebevî", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mescid-i-nebevi; "Maksûre", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/maksure]