Moti Masjid

After a long time I am writing this article. Sorry for that :P
I was busy in some stuff.
So here is my new trip to another mosque called Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque). Well there are many pearl mosques in sub-continent but this particular one is present in Lahore in fact in Lahore Fort. Many people don't know that. Shah Jahan built this mosque in around 17th century. He also built another Moti Masjid in the same era but that one is in Agra.

The Moti Masjid, or Pearl Mosque, is a relatively small structure located at the western side of the fort. It is built entirely of white marble mined from the town of Makrana in contemporary Rajasthan. The mosque is one of the few buildings inside the fort that deviate from the overall north-south orientation of the complex, satisfying the liturgical requirement that the mosque's mihrab face directly towards Kaba.

Many people visit Lahore Fort but they never go to this place which is a sad thing :( . It is not a big mosque but it has great historical importance.
Many people believe that Jins(supernatural creatures) live in this abandoned mosque. May be thats was the reason I wanted to visit this mosque so much. And they also believe if you say special prayers in this mosque those Jins help you in those prayers.

Wazir Khan Mosque

Last Sunday I decided to go in Old Lahore to see those small narrow streets. I like the way people live in those areas. Long time ago I saw Wazir Khan Mosque in one of the Pakistani movies "Khuda key liye" and I always wanted to visit that place. So at last I got a chance to visit that fascinating place. I took my new camera and headed towards my destination. As this was my first time going to old Lahore and I didn't know much about the place I took some help with GPS
I reached Delhi gate first which is really a big gate and it is being renovated by the funds of World Bank. Vehicles weren't allowed to go in so I continued on foot. After passing through the beautiful old bazar I reached Wazir Khan mosque which looks astonishingly beautiful.
It is in good condition I must say that.

This mosque has been described as 'a mole on the check of Lahore'. It was built in seven years, starting around 1634-1635 AD, during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan.

Door to Mosque.

The detail work of Wazir Khan Mosque is incomparable to anything that I have very seen. The use of colours and the art work panels are the most striking.

The unique patterns engraved in the soul of Wazir Khan Mosque enlighten us with the traditions, talents of our Mughal Architects which made these ages ago.

Main gate from the inside looks fab.

Tomb of Syed Muhammad Ishaq in the mosque is worth seeing.

Rows of shops outside the mosque (one of the earliest mosques to introduce such a concept).
And frankly speaking now this concept is adopted by every mosque to earn revenue.

I love this pic. A lot of pigeons were sitting on this minaret.

Mysterious door. Wonder what is behind this door.

I love this pic. I am proud of myself :p

Arabic calligraphy on glazed tile. This pic explains why Wazir Khan Mosque is famous for its extensive faience tile work.

Hope you liked this post.
To see more pictures you can visit my flickr account :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ansabmahmood/sets/72157632905256968/