Places of Worship: Badshahi Mosque

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Fazal Ahmad, London, UK

Location: Lahore, Pakistan
Belief: Islam
Era: 1674 CE

The Badshahi Mosque of Lahore is a key part of the Mughal heritage in South Asia and was built under the auspices of Emperor Aurangzeb, the son of Shah Jahan, between 1671 and 1674 CE. Built using red sandstone and marble, the mosque sits atop a raised platform, 22 steps from the main gate. It stands opposite the Lahore Fort and Sikh Dera Sahib Temple.

The mosque complex has seen many historic and turbulent moments. Around 1800 CE, the Sikh empire used the courtyard of the mosque as stables for its horses and quarters for their troops. The mosque and nearby Lahore Fort were initially used as a garrison base from 1846-1852 CE by the British Army,  due to its strategic location in Lahore, but soon after, the mosque was established again as a Muslim place of worship. Over half a century later, in 1919 CE, an estimated crowd of 30,000 Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus gathered in the courtyard to protest the Amritsar Massacre, with a speech by Mahatma Gandhi read out to the protestors.

The mosque’s interior space is quite modest in size and is adorned with three domes. The courtyard reaching out within the walled compound can accommodate between 60,000-80,000 worshippers. Each corner of the courtyard is adorned with its own minaret, with 204 steps to the top of each minaret. At the centre of the courtyard lies a fountain feature.

Near the entrance gate, mosque staff claim to preserve ancient Islamic relics from the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), Hazrat Ali (ra) and Hazrat Fatimah (ra). The mosque is one of the largest in the Indian subcontinent and has large congregations for Friday prayers and major Islamic holidays.

References:

“Badshahi Mosque,” UNESCO. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1277/

M. Frishman, & H. Khan, The Mosque – History, Architectural Development & Regional Diversity (London, UK: Thames & Hudson, 1994).

A. Schimmel, The Empire of the Great Mughals (London, UK: Reaktion Books, 2004).

I. Shaw, Pakistan Handbook (Hong Kong: Moon Travel handbooks, 1998).