As the Ka'bah was the focus for worship and prayer, its direction, known as the Qiblah, was important to the design of mosques. These buildings always have an empty niche, called the mihrab, in the wall facing the Qiblah, and consequently Mecca. Mosques were relatively free of furniture, although one very large piece of furniture found in the more important mosques was the minbar, the pulpit that was placed to the right of the mihrab and was used for the weekly Friday sermon.