The crown on Lahore's head: Badshahi Mosque

Pakistan

The crown on Lahore's head: Badshahi Mosque

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(Web Desk) - Commissioned by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1671, the Baadshahi mosque was completed in 1673. The mosque lies towards the west of Lahore fort at the outskirts of the Walled City. According to historian Josef Meri, the mosque was built to commemorate the military campaigns against Maratha king Shivaji.

With three domes and eight minarets, the Badshahi Mosque has been a crown on Lahore s head for more than three centuries. This stupendously built mosque, is an architectural masterpiece of the Mughal era.

The mosque has huge domes and minarets that exude royalty. The name Badshahi Mosque (Imperial mosque), befits the towering structure that the mosque is.

The engraving on the walls of the mosque is an example of the mastery of the craftsmen of the Mughal era. The exterior of the mosque is lined with red sandstone while the interior of the mosque is lined with white marble.

Near the entrance of the mosque is the tomb of the revered poet Muhammad Iqbal.

According to writer Baapsi Sidhwa, after the fall of the Mughal empire, the mosque was used by the Sikhs as a garrison for their army, with the courtyard of the mosque being used as stable for horses and its study rooms being used as quarters for soldiers

When the British took over Lahore from the Sikhs, the mosque continued to be used as a garrison. After the Amritsar massacre of 1919, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs used the mosque s courtyard as a protesting ground.

Restoration work commenced in 1939 and was completed in 1960. The mosque is a part of the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The mosque has a capacity to hold 56,000 worshippers. Before the Prophet s (PBUH) Mosque in Medina underwent expansion, the Badshahi Mosque had the honour of being the largest mosque in the world for 313 years.