Badshahi Mosque
Mughal Imperial Mosque Built By Aurangzeb, Completed 1673; On Pakistan'S UNESCO Tentative List · Lahore, Punjab
The Badshahi Mosque, the Emperor's Mosque, was built by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and finished in 1673, and for over three hundred years it was the largest mosque in the world. It faces the Lahore Fort across the Hazuri Bagh garden, and the view of its three white marble domes and four red sandstone minarets across the courtyard is the image of Lahore. The courtyard is enormous, paved in red sandstone and able to hold tens of thousands of worshippers at Eid. Its history is not all glory: under the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh it was used as a stable and an arsenal, and the British also used it as a garrison before it was returned to worship; the long restoration that brought it back was finished only in 1960. Inside the prayer hall the carved and painted stucco and marble work is fine and restrained. At the foot of the entrance steps is the tomb of Allama Iqbal, the poet who first proposed Pakistan. Go at sunset, then walk to the rooftop restaurants of Fort Road to see the domes lit.
Walled City, Lahore, facing Lahore Fort across Hazuri Bagh, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Open daily to visitors outside prayer times, from early morning to after sunset; tourist access is restricted during the five daily prayers and especially Friday midday prayers. Entry is free, but shoes are left with the shoe keepers at the gate for a small fee. Women must cover their heads and everyone must cover arms and legs; wraps are available at the entrance. Eid prayers fill the courtyard and it is not a day to sightsee.