Badshahi Mosque in Lahore – Pakistan is a famous landmark in the city and is visited by thousands of worshipers as well as tourists year-round. It is the 2nd largest mosque in the country as well as the rest of the Southern Asian region.
Location
Badshahi Mosque in Lahore – Pakistan is located on the northern section of the city, standing opposite another major landmark in the city, the Lahore Fort.
Getting There
You can fly in to Lahore via the Allama Igbal International Airport, approximately twenty to thirty minutes off Lahore’s downtown area. From the airport, you can take a taxi to get to your hotel or the city centre.
Once in Lahore, there are several means of reaching Badshahi Mosque in Lahore – Pakistan. You can take a taxi, rickshaw or a minivan to reach the mosque. Rickshaws are the most common means of transport around the city and the most affordable one, too.
What to See and Do
Badshahi Mosque in Lahore – Pakistan offers visitors closer views of the architectural patterns both on the mosque’s exteriors and interiors. The interior’s panels are adorned with touches of fresco and marble inlay.
The exteriors on the other hand, are adorned with various marble inlay and stone carvings. The flooring is made from red sandstone.
The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore – Pakistan has a courtyard, a prayer chamber, corner minarets, central dome, side domes, side aisles and a central tank.
Brief History
Badshahi Mosque in Lahore – Pakistan is also called the “King’s Mosque” and was constructed by the orders of Aurangzeb, a Mughal Emperor, in the year 1671. It took two years to construct the mosque with its elaborate design and it was finally completed in the year 1673.
The main prayer chamber is spacious enough to accommodate five thousand worshipers at a time while the courtyard, with its large size; can accommodate up to ninety-five thousand people at a time.
It was considered as the largest-sized mosque in the country and the rest of the world for hundreds of years – between the years 1673 and 1986. The title was subsequently taken by Islamabad’s Faisal Mosque.
It remains however, as the 2nd largest mosque in the country and the Southern Asian region; and the 5th largest worldwide.
Cost
There is no entry fee to enter and visit the premises of Badshahi Mosque in Lahore – Pakistan. While the mosque remains open for worshipers throughout the day, visitors are only allowed to visit from 8 in the morning until about sunset.
Other Information
Being a sacred place of worship, visitors are required to take off their shoes before going inside the mosque. Visitors are also advised not to wear sleeveless tops and shirts as well as short pants.
Women are required to bring a shawl to cover their heads with when entering the premises of the mosque.
