Badshahi Masjid Lahore Punjab Pakistan South Asia
The Badshahi Masjid literally the King s Mosque was built in 1673 by Aurangzeb in Lahore Pakistan It is one of the city s best known landmarks and a major tourist attraction epitomising the beauty and grandeur of the Mughal era Capable of accommodating up to 60 000 worshippers it is the second largest mosque in Pakistan after the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad The architecture and design of the Badshahi Masjid is closely related to the Jama Masjid in Delhi India which was built in 1648 by Aurangzeb s father and predecessor emperor Shah Jahan Like the character of its founder the mosque is bold vast and majestic in its expression It was the largest mosque in the world for a long time The interior has rich embellishment in stucco tracery Manbatkari and panelling with a fresco touch all in bold relief as well as marble inlay The exterior is decorated with stone carving as well as marble inlay on red sandstone specially of Loti form motifs in bold relief The embellishment has Indo Greek Central Asian and Indian architectural influence both in technique and motifs The skyline is furnished by beautiful ornamental merlons inlaid with marble lining adding grace to the perimeter of the mosque In its various architectural features like the vast square courtyard the side aisles dalans the four corner minars the projecting central transept of the prayer chamber and the grand entrance gate is summed up history of the development of mosque architecture of the Muslim world over the thousand years prior to its construction in 1673 A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name masjid The word mosque in English is used to represent all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger collective mosque masjid jami which has more community and social amenities The primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place whe
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