One of the best-known sights in Lahore is the Imperial or the Badshahi Mosque that is located across the courtyard from the Alamgir Gate of the Lahore Fort.
Built by Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals, the mosque is made up entirely of red sandstone and was completed in 1674 A.D. It is pertinent to note that Aurangezeb did not approve of the architectural extravagance of his father Shah Jahan, who built some of the most famous architectural wonders of medieval India including the world famous Taj Mahal in Agra as well as Red Fort and Jama Masjid in Delhi.
Completed in a record time of two and-a-half years, the mosque has the distinction of housing the largest courtyard in the world, which measures 161.5 x 160.6m and can accommodate as many as 100,000 worshippers. There are four lofty minarets, 54m tall, one at each corner of the mosque. Each minaret has an outer circumference of 20 meters. The beautiful gateway of the mosque measures 21.33m. It is fascinating to see the bulbous marble domes crowning the seven prayer chambers.
The chambers above the Gate of the mosque protect a collection of relics attributed to Muhammad the Holy Prophet, his daughter and his son-in-law. Amir Taimur is credited with bringing the relics to the sub-continent.
One of the finest specimen of Mughal Architecture, albeit not matching the opulence of the other Mughal monuments, the Badshahi Mosque is indeed graceful in beauty and design.
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