Badshahi Masjid (Mosque), Lahore

Just on the left side of the steps of Badshahi Mosque is the tomb of great muslim scholar & philosopher Hazrat Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Allama Iqbal, who is know as "Poet of the East", is the real thinker behind Pakistan movement. It was His vision of Independent Muslim State. He was born on 09-Nov-1877 & died on 21-April-1938.

Tomb is a simple but striking rectangular building made up of Red Stone. Hundreds of people come daily for saying Fatiha & paying respect to this great scholar.

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Great Badshahi Mosque (Royal Mosque) was built in 1674 by the great Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir who ruled india from 1658 to 1707 AD. This mosque is built with Red Stone. Construction is very unique Eastern type. It remained the largest Mosques in the world for several years.

It is situated near Minar-e-Pakistan and in fornt of Shahi Qila (Royal Forte).

One should must see this beautiful Mosque. It contains a lot of interest for Architecture students.

Visit the magnificent moghul mosque. The museum contains a turban and hair of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), a turban of Hazrat Ali (ra) and other incredibly moving items for Muslims. A museum from the heavens.

The environs within and around the fort and mosque areas are quite plush. Well laid out and trimmed gardens where you can relax and bask in the lovely sunshine away from the polluted city traffic.

Its a new area to picnic in the late afternoons.

Visit the fabulous Badshahi (Royal) Mosque. This used to be the largest mosque in the sub-continent.

The picture shows the inner pavillion an open prayer area with an ablution or cleansing water area in the middle.

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:: BADSHAHI MOSQUE
The Royal or the Badshahi Mosque is across the courtyard from Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort. The Mosque, which is made up entirely of red sand-stone was built by Emperor Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals, in a record time of two and-a-half years. Its construction was completed by 1674 A.D. It has a beautiful gate-way which measures 21.33 metres in length and a courtyard that measures 161.5 x 160.6 metres and is said to be the largest mosque courtyard in the world for outdoor prayers. The marble domes cover seven prayer chambers. Four lofty minarets stand at the four corners of the mosque, each with an outer circumference of 20 metres, soaring up to 54 metres. In the chambers above the Gate of the mosque, are housed relics attributed to the Holy Prophet of Islam Peace be upon him, His Daughter and His son-in-law and are said to have been brought to the South Asia by Amir Taimur. Within the Mosque almost all the colours have been used for painting the floral designs but the overall effect remains one of sobriety, piousness and simplicity.

This is a very beautiful mosque.

We were privileged to be allowed to see the relics of the Prophet.

Although it was only March, the courtyard was baking hot, and very uncomfortable to walk on without shoes.

Completed in 1674 under Aurangzeb s the Mughals last great Mosque the incredible Mosque opposite the gateway to the Lahore Fort is one of the worlds largest mosques. The huge gateways, massive minarets and built with red sandstone is supposed to hold nearly 100,000 people. The rooms above the main gate hold several items from the Prophet Mohammed such as his hair and shoes. In 1991 the mosque grabbed international headlines when hardline mullahs protested at the visit of Princess Diana because she was given a Quran although she was wearing a mini skirt in the mosque. In the courtyard stands the tomb of Allama Mohammed Iqbal who was the philospher poet who in the 1930s pushed for the idea of an independant Pakistan. The Badshahi Mosque is one of the most beautiful buildings on the subcontinent.