Mahabat Khan Mosque Peshawar Pakistan: A Rich Cultural Monument

Mahabat Khan Mosque is a Mughal-era mosque in the 17th century. It was designed under Mughal emperor Shah Jahan by the governor of Peshawar in 1630 and rebuilt in 1898. From an ancient caravanserai to the east, you can reach the mosque and look around the luxurious tiled interior and also get a good view of the plaza and minarets.

Freelance guides circling about Ander Shahar are good value for visiting the mosque and caravanserai, but afterwards they want you to visit their shop.

Mahabat Khan Mosque: A Peek Into The Mughal’s Architecture

The mosque has a capacity of 30,155 square feet. The spacious courtyard features a circular ablution pool and a long row of rooms lining the outside walls.

History Of Mahabat Khan Mosque

The mosque was built on what was the highest point in the old town between 1660 and 1670. The Mohabbat Khan Mosque minarets were often used to hang hostages in Sikh times. The minarets hanged five men a day,’as a replacement for the gallows.’ After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, refugee tribal elders would assemble in the mosque to forge solidarity against the Soviets among Afghans.

Architecture of Mahabat Khan Mosque

Five arched portals provide access to the main hall of worship. The central arch is the largest, with traditional Mughal style cusped arches. Two slightly shorter un-cusped arches, constructed in Persian and Central Asian style, surround the central arch. Such arches are flanked by a smaller arch decorated in a similar style, and above the top of each arch is located a series of 7 small arched portals.

The three main arched portals are embellished with muqarnas above the row of 7 mini-arched portals, while the outermost arches are instead adorned with ghalib kari, or a network of stucco and plaster ribs that are used for decorative purposes on curved surfaces in the archways. Archways in the mosque are accompanied by vegetal motifs around their upper arcs, which are multi-colored in contrast to the black motifs in the Badshahi Mosque.

There are panels embellished with floral motifs and Quranic calligraphy in both the interior and exterior. Under the three low fluted domes, the interior of the prayer hall is sheltered and eloquently decorated with floral and geometric patterns.

Prominent Features

The mosque has a small but wide entrance leading to a broad courtyard of worship. A cool blue tiled ablution pool is located in the middle of the courtyard, with a row of rooms on the sides and a central prayer hall on the west side. When you look at this mosque, you will automatically find it to be a mosque of the Mughal era as the embellishments and decorative motives speak of it.

The mosque’s main hall or chamber of prayer is beautifully adorned with calligraphy and floral work. Mahabat Khan Mosque has three domes, whereas at each end of the main hall there are two tall minarets.

The City Of Peshawar — A History Itself

Let me also tell you something about Peshawar. It is a small town in a valley near the eastern end of the ancient Khyber Pass, close to the Afghanistan border. The recorded history of Peshawar dates back to at least 539 BCE, making it Pakistan’s oldest city and one of South Asia’s oldest. Peshawar was the capital of the ancient Kushan Empire and was home to the Kanishka Stupa, which might have been the highest building in the ancient world.

Considering the historical importance of the city, when we talk about living and investing in Peshawar, there are numerous outstanding housing societies and residential schemes. One of which is Bahria Town Peshawar. Experts believe that this project will be a standout in the year 2020. So, what are you waiting for? Invest in the popular project of Bahria Town Developers and gain immense profit.