08 January 2010, 12:12 am
The Badshahi (Kings) Masjid (Mosque) in Lahore is the largest mosque in Pakistan and the fifth largest mosque in the world. It is very attracted to the people all over the world due to its history of the Mughal Era. It’s a great land mark.
History:
Badshahi Mosque was ordered to construct in May 1671 by the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. Construction took about two years and was finished in April 1673.The construction work was carried out under the supervision of Aurangzeb's brother Muzaffar Hussain. Muzaffar Hussain was also Master of Ordnance to the Emperor. The mosque was built opposed the Lahore Fort.
Design:
The architecture and design of the Badshahi Mosque closely resembles that of the slightly smaller Jama Mosque in Delhi, India, which was built in 1648 by Aurangzeb's father and predecessor, Emperor Shah Jahan. The Main Prayer Hall is separated 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 covered with flat domes. The interior of Main Prayer Hall is richly embellished with stucco trace, fresco work, and inlaid marble.
The exterior is decorated with stone statuette as well as marble inlay on red sandstone.
There are only two captions in the mosque:
* One on the gateway
* The other of Kalimah in the prayer chamber under the main high vault.
Dimensions:
* Courtyard: 528 ft 8 in (161.14 m) x 528 ft 4 in (161.04 m) (area: 278,784 sq ft (25,899.9 m2)) (the world's largest mosque courtyard) (compared to 186 ft × 186 ft (57 m × 57 m) for the main platform of the Taj Mahal), divided into two levels: the upper and the lower.
* Prayer Chamber: 275 ft 8 in (84.02 m) x 83 ft 7 in (25.48 m) x 50 ft 6 in (15.39 m) high, with its main vault 37 ft 3 in (11.35 m) x 59 ft 4 in (18.08 m) high but with the merlons 74 ft (22.555200 m). (area: 22,825 sq ft (2,120.5 m2))
* 4 Corner Minarets: 176 ft 4 in (53.75 m) high and 67 ft (20 m) in circumference, are in four stages and have a contained staircase with 204 steps (compared with 162.5 ft (49.5 m) for the minarats of the Taj Mahal).
* Central Dome: Diameter 65 ft (20 m) at bottom (at bulging 70 ft 6 in (21.49 m)); height 49 ft (15 m); pinnacle 24 ft (7.3 m) and neck 15 ft (4.6 m) high.
* 2 Side Domes: Diameter 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m) (at bulging 54 ft (16.46 m)); height 32 ft (9.8 m); pinnacle 19 ft (5.8 m); neck 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) high.
* Gateway: 66 ft 7 in (20.29 m) x 62 ft 10 in (19.15 m) x 65 ft (20 m) high including domelets; vault 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) x 32 ft 6 in (9.91 m) high. Its three sided approach steps are 22 in number.
* Side Aisles (Dalans): 80 in number. Height above floor 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m); plinth 2 ft 7 in (0.79 m).
* Central Tank: 50 ft (15 m) x 50 ft (15 m) x 3 ft (0.91 m) deep (area: 2,500 sq ft (230 m2))
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