The exterior of the Great Mosque stands in some contrast to the interior, being crude and compact. Several of the decorative elements of the interior have been reproduced for the facade, but where the arches of the interior help to create openness, here they end in nothing but the flat wall. This is not accidental: The idea of the secluded area (haram) is that non-believers and passers by shall not have access nor be able to see to the acts on the inside. Hence privacy was created together with a barrier between the believers and the infidels.
