Wazir Khan Mosque | |
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![]() Wazir Khan Mosque
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Basic information | |
Affiliation | Islam |
District | Lahore |
Province | Punjab |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Mosque |
Architectural description | |
Architectural type | Mosque and Sufi mausoleum |
Architectural style | Indo-Islamic/Mughal |
Completed | 3 December 1641 |
Specifications | |
Dome(s) | 5 |
Dome height (outer) | 21 feet (6.4 m) |
Dome height (inner) | 32 feet (9.8 m) |
Dome dia. (outer) | 19 feet (5.8 m) |
Dome dia. (inner) | 23 feet (7.0 m) |
Minaret(s) | 4 |
Minaret height | 107 feet (33 m) |
The Wazir Khan Mosque (Punjabi/Urdu: مسجد وزیر خان Masjid Wazīr Khān) is a Mughal era mosque in the city of Lahore, capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The mosque was commissioned during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as part of an ensemble of buildings that also included the nearby Shahi Hammam baths. Construction of Wazir Khan Mosque began in 1634 C.E., and was completed in 1641.
Considered to be the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque, Wazir Khan Mosque is renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as kashi-kari, as well as its interior surfaces that are almost entirely embellished with elaborate Mughal-era frescoes. The mosque has been under extensive restoration since 2009 under the direction of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Government of Punjab, with contributions from the governments of Germany, Norway, and the United States.
The mosque is located in the Walled City of Lahore along the southern side of Lahore's Shahi Guzargah, or "Royal Road," which was the traditional route traversed by Mughal nobles on their way to royal residences at the Lahore Fort. The mosque is situated approximately 260 metres west of the Delhi Gate, where the mosque's Shahi Hammam is located. The mosque also faces a town square known as Wazir Khan Chowk.