Islam Concepts

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.

• Faisal Mosque:

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:

“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:

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.

• Mohabbat Khan Mosque:

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:

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.

• Suneri Mosque:

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.

• Jamia Masjid Sialkot:

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:

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:

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:

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.