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Badshahi Mosque
The Badshahi Mosque is a Mughal-era imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, opposite to the Lahore Fort in the northern outskirts of the historic Walled City. It is widely considered to be an iconic landmark of the country.
The mosque is an important example of the Mughal architecture, with an exterior that is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay. It was the largest mosque built during the Mughal era, and is currently the third largest mosque in Pakistan.
The mosque is located adjacent to the Walled City of Lahore. The entrance to the mosque lies on the western side of the rectangular Hazuri Bagh, and faces the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is located on the eastern side of the Hazuri Bagh. The mosque is also located next to the Roshnai Gate, one of the original thirteen gates of Lahore, which is located to the southern side of the Hazuri Bagh.
Near the entrance of the mosque lies the tomb of Muhammad Iqbal, a poet widely revered in Pakistan as the founder of the Pakistan Movement which led to the creation of Pakistan as a homeland for the Muslims of British India. Also located near the mosque's entrance is the tomb of Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, who is credited for playing a major role in preservation and restoration of the mosque.
The sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb chose Lahore as the site for a new mosque. Aurangzeb, unlike the previous emperors, was not a major patron of art and architecture and instead focused, during much of his reign, on various military conquests which expanded the Mughal realm. The mosque was built to commemorate Aurangzeb's military campaigns in southern India, in particular against the Maratha ruler Shivaji. As a symbol of the mosque's importance, it was built directly across from the Lahore Fort and its Alamgiri Gate, which was concurrently built by Aurangzeb during construction of the mosque.
The mosque was commissioned in 1671, with construction overseen by the emperor's foster brother, and governor of Lahore, Muzaffar Hussein — also known by his title Fidai Khan Koka. After only two years of construction, the mosque was opened in 1673/74.
On 7 July 1799, the Sikh army of Ranjit Singh took control of Lahore. After the capture of the city maharaja Ranjit Singh used its vast courtyard as a stable for his army horses, and its 80 Hujras (small study rooms surrounding the courtyard) as quarters for his soldiers and as magazines for military stores. In 1818, he built a marble edifice in the Hazuri Bagh facing the mosque, known as the Hazuri Bagh Baradari, which he used as his official royal court of audience. Marble slabs for the baradari may have been plundered by the Sikhs from other monuments in Lahore. In 1839, after his death, construction of a samadhi in his memory was begun by his son and successor, Kharak Singh, at a site adjacent to the mosque.
During the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1841, Ranjit Singh's son, Sher Singh, used the mosque's large minarets for placement of zamburahs or light guns which were used to bombard the supporters of Chand Kaur, who had taken refuge in the besieged Lahore Fort. In one of these bombardments, the fort's Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) was destroyed, but was subsequently rebuilt in the British era. During this time, Henri de La Rouche, a French cavalry officer employed in the army of Sher Singh, also used a tunnel connecting the Badshahi Mosque to the Lahore Fort to temporarily store gunpowder.
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Badshahi Mosque
The Badshahi Mosque is a Mughal-era imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, opposite to the Lahore Fort in the northern outskirts of the historic Walled City. It is widely considered to be an iconic landmark of the country.
The mosque is an important example of the Mughal architecture, with an exterior that is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay. It was the largest mosque built during the Mughal era, and is currently the third largest mosque in Pakistan.
The mosque is located adjacent to the Walled City of Lahore. The entrance to the mosque lies on the western side of the rectangular Hazuri Bagh, and faces the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is located on the eastern side of the Hazuri Bagh. The mosque is also located next to the Roshnai Gate, one of the original thirteen gates of Lahore, which is located to the southern side of the Hazuri Bagh.
Near the entrance of the mosque lies the tomb of Muhammad Iqbal, a poet widely revered in Pakistan as the founder of the Pakistan Movement which led to the creation of Pakistan as a homeland for the Muslims of British India. Also located near the mosque's entrance is the tomb of Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, who is credited for playing a major role in preservation and restoration of the mosque.
The sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb chose Lahore as the site for a new mosque. Aurangzeb, unlike the previous emperors, was not a major patron of art and architecture and instead focused, during much of his reign, on various military conquests which expanded the Mughal realm. The mosque was built to commemorate Aurangzeb's military campaigns in southern India, in particular against the Maratha ruler Shivaji. As a symbol of the mosque's importance, it was built directly across from the Lahore Fort and its Alamgiri Gate, which was concurrently built by Aurangzeb during construction of the mosque.
The mosque was commissioned in 1671, with construction overseen by the emperor's foster brother, and governor of Lahore, Muzaffar Hussein — also known by his title Fidai Khan Koka. After only two years of construction, the mosque was opened in 1673/74.
On 7 July 1799, the Sikh army of Ranjit Singh took control of Lahore. After the capture of the city maharaja Ranjit Singh used its vast courtyard as a stable for his army horses, and its 80 Hujras (small study rooms surrounding the courtyard) as quarters for his soldiers and as magazines for military stores. In 1818, he built a marble edifice in the Hazuri Bagh facing the mosque, known as the Hazuri Bagh Baradari, which he used as his official royal court of audience. Marble slabs for the baradari may have been plundered by the Sikhs from other monuments in Lahore. In 1839, after his death, construction of a samadhi in his memory was begun by his son and successor, Kharak Singh, at a site adjacent to the mosque.
During the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1841, Ranjit Singh's son, Sher Singh, used the mosque's large minarets for placement of zamburahs or light guns which were used to bombard the supporters of Chand Kaur, who had taken refuge in the besieged Lahore Fort. In one of these bombardments, the fort's Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) was destroyed, but was subsequently rebuilt in the British era. During this time, Henri de La Rouche, a French cavalry officer employed in the army of Sher Singh, also used a tunnel connecting the Badshahi Mosque to the Lahore Fort to temporarily store gunpowder.
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