Aside from the basic requirements there are also many symbols which have come to be associated with the mosque. This includes the minaret , a tall tower, which is sometimes freestanding and sometimes adjoining the mosque. Its purpose originally was to provide a high area from which a member of the community could perform the call to prayer. Now they are often more decorative than functional with attached speakers playing the call to prayer. Arguably the most important of the symbols is the Calligraphy adorning the walls of many mosques.
Additional features related to larger mosques are the school and courtyard.
The courtyard is an important space because it represents the Islamic preference for privacy with it being an outdoor yet enclosed space. The school is also important because it reflects a deep emphasis on knowledge especially as it pertains to religion. Some mosques during different periods became whole complexes with buildings that related to social functions, even including hospitals. In every case, whether big or small, the mosque was intended to be in service of the community and a place for that community to worship God in the Islamic way. There is normally a series of steps which lead up to the platform and sometimes a canopy above.