Wazir Khan Mosque: Mughal era's masterpiece of art

Pakistan

Wazir Khan Mosque: Mughal era's masterpiece of art

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(Web Desk) - Lahore s Wazir Khan mosque has been standing since the last four centuries as a tribute to God s greatness and magnificence.

The mosque, commissioned during the time of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, was completed in 1641. This mosque is considered to be a masterpiece of the Mughal era and is thought to be the most elaborately adorned mosque of the Mughal era.

It is famous for its detailed tile work known as kashi kari, a form of hand painting of ceramic products. Moreover, it is renowned for its inner walls that are adorned with intricate frescoes; a technique of mural painting carried upon wet plaster laid on a wall. The mosque is also decorated with calligraphy in the prayer hall.

The outer door of the mosque is decorated with designs and drawings that are an example of the detailed sense of aesthetics of the mosque s architects and craftsmen. The tiling on the inner walls of the mosque is an example of the mastery of construction that artisans of the Mughal era had. The mosque s interior and exterior, exquisitely embellished with splendid tiling and frescoes, is a blend of Mughal and local Punjabi culture. 

Looking at the calligraphy and art inside and outside the mosque, it could be said that this mosque seems like a school of art and design. The mosque portrays a fusion of art and civil engineering that only Mughal architects could make possible. A significant feature of the mosque is the acoustic property of the dome that allows the imam s sermon to be heard across the courtyard of the mosque.

The mosque has five beautiful domes and four minarets. The wide expanse of floor in the courtyard of the mosque provides ample space for the worshippers to pray. Thousands of worshippers prostrate inside this mosque daily. The mosque was added in 1993 to UNESCO s tentative list for world heritage site status.