The Badshahi Mosque

The Badshahi 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.^[1] It is Lahore's most famous landmark and a major tourist attraction.^[2] It is located in Lahore, adjacent to the Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal in Pakistan. The mosque's architectural plan is similar to that of the Jama Masjid in Delhi; it also functions as an idgah. The courtyard which spreads over 276,000 square feet, can accommodate one lakh worshippers and ten thousand worshippers can be accommodated inside the mosque. The minarets are 196 feet (60 m) tall. In 1993, the Government of Pakistan recommended the inclusion of the 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.

Features

The architectural plan of the mosque is similar to that of Jama Masjid, built by Aurangzeb's father Shah Jahan in Delhi.^[20] The mosque combines the functions of both a mosque and an idgah. On the eastern side of the mosque is the entrance stairway "that leads through a great vaulted entrance" which is constructed of red sandstone.^[21] The courtyard measures 276,000 square feet^[22] and is enclosed by single-aisled arcades. At each of the four corners of the mosque, there is an octagonal, three storeyed minar of red sandstone "with an open, marble-covered canopy". The courtyard is framed by four smaller minarets. The prayer chamber "is dominated by a central arched niche" with five arches on either side which is about one third the size of the central niche. The largest dome is behind the central arch and on its two sides there are two bulbous marble domes. Besides the mosque has symmetry and "balanced proportions and clarity".

The minarets are 196 feet tall with an outer circumference of 67 feet and the inner circumference is eight and half feet. The mosque is built on a raised platform, which is reached by flight of 22 steps.^[22] Though the rooms above the entrance gate are not open to the public it is believed that it contains the hair of Muhammad and his son-in-law Ali. The main prayer chamber is divided into seven chambers by engraved arches. On the top of the middle, there are three domes, one main and two minor which is a common feature of Mughal architecture. The courtyard is made up of brownstone slabs. The interior of the mosque is adorned with precious and semi-precious stones in floral design. The three chambers on each side of the main chamber contains rooms which are used for teaching purpose. The mosque can accommodate 10,000 worshippers in the prayer hall and 1,00,000 worshippers in the courtyard. The courtyard of the mosque is the largest amongst other mosques in the world.

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