Emperor Aurangzeb commissioned the Badshahi Mosque in 1671, and it was built by 1673. Muzaffar Hussein, also called Fidai Khan Koka, was Aurangzeb's foster brother and the governor of Lahore, and he oversaw the work. The plan resembles Shah Jahan's Jama Masjid in Delhi but on a much larger scale. The style is Mughal.
The mosque is built of red sandstone with white marble inlay. It measures 560 feet (170 m) on each side. The courtyard covers 276,000 square feet (25,600 sq m) and can hold 100,000 worshippers, and the prayer hall holds 10,000. Three marble domes crown the hall. Eight minarets stand around it, and the four major octagonal ones rise 196 feet (60 m).
Under Sikh rule from 1799, the courtyard became a stable and the 80 cells soldiers' quarters. The British returned the building to the Muslim community in 1856. Restoration from 1939 to 1960 cost 4.8 million rupees. It remains a place of worship.
Comments