Pakistan is well known for its cultural heritage. Whether we talk about
this cultural heritage in a sense which relates religious matters or
towering Islamic architecture, Pakistan will always be at the top of the
merit list. It has a vibrant spectrum containing all the colors of the
Islamic architecture. While talking about Islamic architecture, it’s the
Pakistani mosques which catch our eyes. Not only are these mosques
beautiful but engineering marvels as well. Here is a list which clearly
depicts the 10 best mosques of Pakistan.
The Faisal Mosque is the largest mosque in
Pakistan and South Asia and the third largest mosque in the whole world.
It is situated in Islamabad near Naval Complex, Sector E-8. It covers
an area of 54,000 sq ft. It has a capacity to accommodate a total of
3,00,000 people (worshipers). It has four minarets, each of which is 260
ft high. The Faisal Mosque is named after the King Faisal bin Abdul
Aziz who financed its construction. Check my story when I prayed taraveeh in Shah Faisal Mosque.
“Badshahi Mosque” literally means “Emperors Mosque”. Its construction
was started in May 1671 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It is situated
in Lahore and is the second largest mosque in Pakistan. It is the fifth
largest mosque in the world. It is Lahore’s major landmark and a great
tourist attraction. It attracts a net total of more than 5, 00,000
tourists from all over the world. Its courtyard covers an area of
278,784 sq ft. it can accommodate total of 110,000 people at a time.
Tooba Mosque is located in Karachi (largest city of Pakistan). One of
its common names is “Gol Masjid” which is probably because of its
elliptical structure. It was built in 1969. It is claimed to be the
largest single dome mosque in the world. It is a major tourist
attraction. Tooba Mosque was built with pure white marble. Its dome is
236 ft in diameter. It has a single minaret 70 meters high. Its central
hall can accommodate total of 5000 people. It was designed by the famous
Pakistani architect Dr Babar Hamid Chauhan.
Commonly known as “Masjid Muhabbat Khan” is situated in Peshawar,
NWFP Pakistan. It’s a 17th century mosque. It was named after Nawab
Mohabbat Khan who was the Mughal Governor of the area in that period of
time. He served under the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built in
1670. Primarily it is orthodox in design. It has an ablution pond in its
middle. Its minarets were used in Sikh times as a substitute for
gallows. A fire that raged through the Andar Sheher Bazaar in 1895
failed to destroy the mosque because of the unremitting efforts of the
faithful.
Eid Gah Mosque is located in Multan which is an important city of
Pakistan. It is situated on the main Multan-Lahore highway. It was built
in 1735 by Nawab Abdul Samad Khan. He was the governor of Multan at
that time. It covers an area of 13500 sq ft. It has seven domes which
are very beautiful and are built by using a special material developed
by fusing clay, marble and chalk stone. It can accommodate a total of
2000 people (Worshipers). It also has guest rooms for people who come
for preaching. It is an engineering wonder because the material used for
its construction is orthodox and not very strong. But still it stands
today on the chest of the earth telling the story of its survival.
The Soneri Mosque also known as golden mosque is located in Lahore.
It was built by Nawab Syed Bhikari Khan in 1735. He was the deputy
governor of Lahore at that time. It is located in the middle of Kashmir
bazaar. It has three domes. It has a beautiful gateway measuring 21
meters in length. It has a courtyard which measures 161.5 x 160.6
meters. The marble domes cover prayer chambers. The mosque has 4
minarets each of which has a length of 54 meters.
As my mother’s city is Sialkot, so I know “Jamia Masjid Sialkot”
greatness. It is located in very populated area covering the needs of
people residing in Sialkot. They consider it as a vital part of their
heritage. It is the largest mosque of Sialkot. It can accommodate a
total of 50,000 worshipers. It possesses two large and one small
minaret. It has a beautiful front wall on which marvelous mirror work is
done which is the specialty of the land of Sialkot. It was built by
Nawab Akram Khan. He was the governor of Sialkot.
Wazir Khan Mosque is situated in Lahore. It is a very holy place from
religious point of view. It is famous for its extensive tile work on
its exterior and interior walls. It is sometimes called as “a mole on
the cheek of Lahore”. Shah Jehan built this in 1635. It looks same after
centuries passed away.
Moti Masjid literally means ‘pearl mosque’. It was built in 17th
century. It is situated inside the Lahore fort, built using pure and
stainless white marble in 1637. As Shah Jehan created many beautiful
mosques in his time, this is also one of them. It is comparatively small
as compared to other mosques of Lahore but I put it is top 10 because
it is so beautiful. It is established on the western side of the fort.
The Sikhs robbed off its precious jewels which were fixed on its walls
during the revolt of 1857. It stands today towering high in the sky
telling the story of the generations of people who has passing by.
Bhong Mosque is located in the area of Bhong, Sahibabad, in the
district Rahim Yar Khan. Its construction was started in 1932 and was
completed in 1982. It won the “Agha Khan Award for Architecture” in
1986. A postage stamp with its picture was issued in May 12, 2004 in
Pakistan. I’m planning to visit this wonderful architecture of my
country.
Conclusion: These are some of the great architectural mosques
of Pakistan. Hope you like them. Let me know what is in your mind after
checking this list in comment section.
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