What Are The Important Features Of The Exteriors Of A Mosque?

The mosques that have been built by various kings and emirs from the Shahs of Iran to the Moguls of India incorporated the feature of an enclosed courtyard to accommodate people and provide the dimension of space, a "hauze" which is a pond or pool of water stretching in front of the mosque towards its gate for abulation, from one to four minarets, a domed roof sometimes consisting of 2 to 3 domes and a raised platform for the muezzin to call the worshipers to prayer.    

A unique feature of mosques in Islam was that unlike churches and temples that preceded them there was no need for any special architectural design related to a place of worship. Amongst the marsh Arabs they floated on reeds, in South East Asia they had thatched roofs, the only criterion was that the land on which the mosque was built and the material used to build it should not be stolen or acquired by force.