Mohabat Khan Mosque
\n PESHAWAR
\nPeshawar has been remained a strategic city where invaders constructed worship places to freely perform religious obligations and use its peoples\u2019 strong bonds with religion in their favour to prolong their rule.
\nBeing a gateway to the subcontinent and central Asian states (CARs), Peshawar was always a strategic city where kings, warriors and invaders constructed mosques, churches and gurdwaras at prime locations to worship in accordance with their faith besides molding public opinions after conquering it before extending their influence to the subcontinent.
\nThe Muslims commanders and kings of different dynasties passed through the historic Khyber Pass from Central Asian Republics (CARs) and Afghanistan stayed first at Peshawar where they constructed scores of mosques and worship places for Muslims and minorities to promote interfaith harmony and bring people of all faith closer.
\n\u201cFrom recent GorKathri excavations, it was made clear that Islam had first spread in the border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan after Sabuktigin, a Turkic slave commander laid the foundation of the Ghaznavi dynasty in 977 AD in Central Afghanistan,\u201d said Bakhtzada Muhammad, senior research officer of the archeology department KP while talking to APP.
\nFollowing an untimely death of Sabuktigin and a revolt against his son Ismail, Mehmud Ghaznvi gained control over the Ghaznavi kingdom and extended his influence to Punjab after defeating Raja of Jaypala of the Kabul Shahis at the battle of Peshawar in 1001 AD,\u201d he said.
\nResultantly, Islam had gained roots in Bannu, Waziristan, Khyber and other border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where construction of large and small mosques started.
\n\u201cAn inscription in Arabic engraved on a black marble was found in 1984 on the slopes of the hill below the castle of Raja Gira, which authenticated the foundation of the historic Odigram Mosque in Swat (also known as Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi mosque constructed in 1048 CE on the order of General Amir Nustagin of Ghaznavi, which attracted worshipers in droves in Ramazan.
\nHe said the construction of small and big mosques including the historic Yakagund mosque in Mohmand district, Sheikh Habib mosque in 1650 at Bala Manari and Gunj gate mosque alais Khawja Maroof mosque some 600 years ago established at Peshawar by the Muslim rulers of various dynasties, resultantly Islam got flourished in these regions.
\nAfter conquering Peshawar, the Mughal rulers started construction work of the iconic Mohabat Khan mosque in 1660-70 by the then Peshawar\u2019s Governor Nawab Mohabat Khan.
\nAn amalgamation of Islamic and Mughal architecture, he said Mohabat Khan\u2019s small portion was constructed by Mughal emperor, Shah Jehan and a major portion by King Aurangzeb Alamgir with beautiful white marble.
\nThe mosque was finally completed in 1680 and later renovated in 1898 after the vandalism of the Sikh rulers,\u201d he said.
\nThe British took over Peshawar\u2019s control in 1949; the mosque was renovated and handed over to the people of Peshawar for worship. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the refugee tribal elders congregated in the mosque to forge unity amongst Afghans against the Soviets invaders.
\nThe fortune turned positive when the KP government declared Mohabad Khan mosque a historical site in 1982 and took its administrative control to the Auqaf Department.
\nBuilt on a high mound at Andar Sher bazaar near historic Chowkyadgar at Peshawar City, the worshipers enter its 30,155 square feet vast open courtyard with capacity to accommodate about 30,000 worshipers at a time besides a centrally located ablution pool and a single row of rooms lining the exterior walls with two tall minarets, which further magnified its look.
\nThe prayer hall\u2019s facade is also capped by six smaller decorative minarets that flank the mosque\u2019s five arched entryways, with an additional two minarets and its prayer hall capped by three awesome domes that draw visitors\u2019 attention.
\nThe mosque\u2019s ceiling was embellished with elegant red frescoes in geometrics and floral motifs while its exterior was decorated with Mughal frescoes that amplify its beauty.
\n\u201cMohabat Khan mosque is the identity of Peshawar due to its unique architecture and glorious ancient history. For the last 15 years, I regularly came to this historic mosque of Peshawar for Jumma prayer, Namaz e Tarveh and Mahfil-e-Shabina of Ramazan ul Mubarak as its spiritual environment take the worshipers to a new world,\u201d said Haseeb Khan, a resident of Peshawar.
\n\u201cMohabat Khan\u2019s mosque architecture was a jewel of Peshawar, attracting tourists and archeology lovers from across the country.\u201d
\nThe shopkeepers, who had been rented shops by the Auqaf department, increased the size of their shops by many feet by digging more small cabins and encroaching on the entrance and surrounding area of the mosque which negatively impacted its exterior outlook.
\nHe said the construction of illegally built large plazas and shops around the mosque has adversely affected its exterior architecture and demanded the demolition of all these illegal structures to restore its original grandeur and architectural designs.
\nThe mosque has recently undergone heavy conservation work especially on minarets, domes, ablution area, and other portions without compromising on its architectural designs.
\nThe conservation work has enhanced its outlook, attracting thousands of worshipers from across the city during Ramazan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mohabat Khan Mosque PESHAWAR Peshawar has been remained a strategic city where invaders constructed worship places to freely perform religious obligations and use its peoples\u2019 strong bonds with religion in their favour to prolong their rule. Being a gateway to the subcontinent and central Asian states (CARs), Peshawar was always a strategic city where kings, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-465987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n