A polished Statuary marble Mihrab (a niche in a wall that indicates the qibla, or direction of Mecca) takes pride of place in the prayer hall in the new Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies’ next to Magdalen College. StoneCIRCLE, whose workshops are in Basingstoke, Hampshire, were commissioned to produce many of the stone features in the Centre. They include a marble staircase, retaining wall for a water feature and a mortuary slab, and granite vanity tops. But the Mihrab is the most elaborate with its Islamic verses carved into the marble. StoneCIRCLE were chosen for the job because they had the necessary mix of technical expertise, modern equipment and traditional hand skills. The 3D technical drawings for the project were transferred to stoneCIRCLE’s CNC workcentres and were finished by hand. There are 30 pieces of the Italian marble in the finished Mihrab.