Orientation

Orientation, (from Latin oriens, orientum, “the rising sun”), in architecture, the position of a building in relation to an east-west axis. In Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well as in pre-Columbian Central America, the important features of the buildings, such as entrances and passages, faced east, in the direction of the rising sun. Orientation, however, varies according to religious and practical considerations. Muslims, in their prayers, turn toward Mecca, whatever direction that may be. Accordingly, mosques...