Badshahi Mosque

The Badshahi Mosque

          Lahore, Pakistan
 'Royal Mosque' in Lahore, commissioned by the sixth
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1671  and completed in 1673, is
the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world. Epitomising the
beauty, passion and grandeur
of the Mughal era
.
It is Lahore's most famous landmark and a major tourist attraction. Capable of accommodating 5,000 worshippers in its main prayer hall and a further 95,000 in its courtyard and porticoes, it remained the largest mosque in the world from 1673 to 1986 (a period of 313 years), when overtaken in size by the completion of the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Today, it remains the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world

after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. To appreciate its large size, the four minarets of the Badshahi Mosque are 13.9 ft (4.2 m) taller than those of the Taj Mahal and the main platform of the Taj Mahal can fit inside the 278,784 sq ft (25,899.9 m 2) courtyard of the Badshahi
Mosque, which is the largest mosque courtyard in the world. In 1993, the Government of Pakistan recommended the inclusion of the Badshahi Mosque as a World Heritage Site in UNESCO's World Heritage List, where it has been included in Pakistan's Tentative List for possible nomination to the World Heritage List by UNESCO.
History Construction (1671–1673) Construction of the Badshahi Mosque was ordered in May 1671 by the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, who assumed the title Alamgir (meaning "Conqueror of the World"). Construction took about two years and was completed in April 1673.
The Badshahi Mosque was built opposite the Lahore Fort, emphasizing its stature in the Mughal Empire. It was constructed on a raised platform to avoid inundation from the nearby Ravi River during flooding. The mosque's foundation and structure was constructed using bricks and compacted clay. The structure was then  clad with red  sandstone tiles brought from a stone quarry near Jaipur in Rajasthan and its domes were clad with white marble. The construction work was carried out under the supervision of Aurangzeb's foster brother, Muzaffar Hussain (also known as Fidai Khan Koka), who was appointed Governor of Lahore by Aurangzeb in May 1671 to specifically oversee the construction of the mosque and held that post until 1675.
He was also Master of Ordnance to Aurangzeb. In conjunction with the building of the Badshahi Mosque, a
new gate was built at the Lahore Fort opening into the Hazuri Bagh and facing the main entrance of the  Badshahi Mosque, which was named Alamgiri Gate after Aurangzeb. Inscribed in a marble tablet on the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque are the following words in Persian: “The Mosque of Abul Muzaffar  Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir, Victorious King, constructed and completed under the superintendence of the Humblest Servant of the Royal Household, Fidai Khan Koka, in 1084 A.H.” Mosque under Mughal Rule (1673-1752) When it was completed in 1673,
Badshahi Mosque was not only the largest mosque in the Mughal Empire,
but also the largest mosque in the world - a record it would hold for 313 years until 1986.
It was also one of the largest
buildings in the Mughal Empire
and the world. On a clear day,
it could be seen from a
distance of 15 km. The Badshahi Mosque elevated
Lahore to greater political,
economic and cultural
importance in the Mughal
Empire. Mosque under Sikh Rule
(1799-1849) On 7 July 1799, the Sikh militia of the Sukerchakia chief, Ranjit Singh , took control of Lahore.[3] After the capture of the city, the Badshahi
Mosque was severely
damaged when Ranjit Singh
used its vast courtyard as a
stable for his army's horses
and its 80 hujras (small study rooms surrounding the
courtyard) as quarters for his
soldiers and as magazines for
military stores. Ranjit Singh
used the Hazuri Bagh, the
enclosed garden next to the Mosque as his official royal court of audience.[4] In 1841, during the Sikh civil
war, Ranjit Singh's son, Sher
Singh, used the Mosque's large
minarets for placement of
zamburahs or light guns,
which were placed atop the minarets to bombard the
supporters of the Sikh
Maharani Chand Kaur taking
refuge in the besieged Lahore
Fort, inflicting great damage
to the Fort itself. In one of these bombardments, the
Fort's Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of
Public Audience) was
destroyed (it was
subsequently rebuilt by the
British but never regained its original architectural splendour).[5] During this time, Henri De la Rouche, a
French cavalry officer
employed in the army of Sher Singh,[6] used a tunnel connecting the Badshahi
Mosque to the Lahore Fort to
temporarily store gunpowder. [7] Mosque under British Rule
(1858-1947) When the British took control of India, they continued the Sikh practice of using the
Mosque and the adjoining Fort
as a military garrison. The 80
cells (hujras) built into the
walls surrounding the
Mosque's vast courtyard on three sides were originally
study rooms, which were
used by the Sikhs under Ranjit
Singh to house troops and
military stores. The British
demolished them so as to prevent them from being
used for anti-British activities
and rebuilt them to form open
arcades or dalans, which continue to this day. [5] Mosque's Return to
Muslims and Restoration Sensing increasing Muslim
resentment against the use of
the Mosque as a military
garrison, which was
continuing since Sikh Rule, the
British set up the Badshahi Mosque Authority in 1852 to
oversee the restoration and
return of the Mosque to
Muslims as a place of religious
worship. From 1852 onwards,
piecemeal repairs were carried out under the supervision of
the Badshahi Mosque
Authority. Extensive repairs
commenced from 1939
onwards. The blueprint for
the repairs was prepared by the architect Nawab Zen Yar
Jang Bahadur. Mosque under Pakistan
(1947-present) Restoration work at the
Mosque continued after
Lahore became part of the
new Muslim State of Pakistan
on 14 August 1947. By 1960,
the Badshahi Mosque stood restored to its original
condition at a total cost of 4.8
million rupees (1939–1960). The Government of Pakistan
established a small museum
inside the Main Gateway
Entrance of the Mosque. It
contains relics of the Prophet Muhammad, his cousin Ali, and his daughter, Fatimah. On the occasion of the 2nd
Islamic Summit held at Lahore
on February 22, 1974, thirty-
nine heads of Muslim states
offered their Friday prayers in
the Badshahi Mosque, including, among others, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Yasser Arafat of the Palestine Liberation
Organization and Sabah III Al- Salim Al-Sabah of Kuwait. The prayers were led by Mawlānā Abdul Qadir Azad, the then Khatib of the Mosque.[8] In 1993, the Government of
Pakistan recommended the
inclusion of the Badshahi
Mosque as a World Heritage Site in UNESCO's World Heritage List, where it has
been included in Pakistan's
Tentative List for possible
nomination to the World Heritage List by UNESCO. [1] In 2000, the marble inlay in
the Main Prayer Hall was
repaired. In 2008, replacement
work on the red sandstone tiles on the Mosque's large
courtyard commenced, using
red sandstone especially
imported from the original
source near Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.[9] Architecture & Design The architecture and design of
the Badshahi Mosque closely
resembles that of the smaller Jama Mosque in Delhi, India, which was built in 1648 by
Aurangzeb's father and
predecessor, Emperor Shah Jahan. Its design was inspired by Islamic, Persian, Central Asian and Indian influences.
Like the character of its
founder, the Mosque is bold,
vast and majestic in its
expression. The steps leading to the Main
Prayer Hall and its floor are in
Sang-e-Alvi (variegated
marble). The Main Prayer Hall is
divided into seven sections by
means of multi-foil arches supported on heavy piers,
three of which bear the
double domes finished
externally in white marble.
The remaining four sections
are roofed with flat domes. The interior of Main Prayer Hall
is richly embellished with stucco tracery (Manbatkari), fresco work, and inlaid marble. The exterior is decorated with
stone carving as well as marble inlay on red sandstone, specially of lotiform motifs in
bold relief. The embellishment
has Indo-Greek, Central Asian and Indian architectural influence both in technique
and motifs.