Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta
Shah Shah Jahan Mosque is where you will find the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Woking, England.
Shah Jahan's Mosque
South Asia's most elaborate tile display can be found in the mosque.
District ThattaProvince SindhYear consecrated1647Location Thatta
The project was completed in 1659. The architectural styles used were Safavid, Timurid, and Mughal. Material specifications: Red bricks and tiles for dome (s) 93.
Thatta Sindhi's Shah Jahan Mosque, which is also known as the Jamia Masjid of Thatta Sindhi, is an ancient structure dating from the 17th century and serves as the city's central mosque. The mosque has the most elaborate tilework display in South Asia[1][2] and is also notable for its geometric brickwork - a decorative element not seen in Mughal-period mosques. Shah Jahan built this mosque as a token of gratitude for the city,[1] and its architecture is influenced heavily by Central Asian architecture, reflecting Shah Jahan's campaign near Samarkand shortly before the mosque was built.
Location[edit]
The capital of Sindh in the 16th and 17th centuries was Thatta. Makli Necropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site nearby. About 100 kilometers away is Karachi.
Background[edit]
Shah Jahan's Central Asian campaigns influenced the mosque's tile work.
Shah Jahan sought refuge from Emperor Jahangir in Thatta. It was built by Shah Jahan as a tribute to Sindhi hospitality. It may also have been motivated by a devastating storm that nearly destroyed Thatta in 1637.
During Shah Jahan's march to Samarkand, Timurid influences were introduced in modern-day Uzbekistan, influencing the mosque's architecture. Despite the Emperor not being in the region at the time, the expansive tilework and intricate brickwork indicate it was constructed with Mughal imperial funds.
History[edit]
The central courtyard is the entryway to the prayer hall.
It was built by Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1647. Finished by Aurangzeb in 1659[6].
It was originally aligned incorrectly in the mosque in Mecca. The mosque's planners consulted Makhdum Nooh, a Sufi mystic buried nearby in Hala. Through prayer, Makhdum Nooh corrected the mistake, ensuring his sainthood. The mosque's mihrab was rebuilt a century later.
Architecture[edit]
Iranian and Turkic cultures influenced its architecture. Its brickwork and blue tiles were used before Sindh was annexed by the Mughals in 1592, influencing Timurid architecture. The Tarkhans used to rule Sindh.
Decorative elements[edit]
Tile work [edit]
Stellate patterns adorn the mosque's main dome.
Tilework on secondary domes
Tiled domes inside a mosque
Thatta's mosque lacks frescoes, like Lahore's Wazir Khan Mosque.
White, cobalt blue, turquoise, and manganese violet tiles decorate mosques.
Tiles arranged in stellated patterns represent heaven in the mosque's dome. Abdul Ghafur and Abdul Sheikh signed the tiles on the walls. On 9 [9],
The placement and arrangement of Lahore's tiles depict Persian Safavid influences. Colorful and floral Persian Kashani tiles.
[Edit] Brickwork
The mosque is decorated with geometric brickwork.
Lined with bricks
Its brickwork is in geometric patterns, which is a Timurid architectural element, unlike mosques built in the Mughal period. Sindhi vernacular styles and Persian architecture also influenced the brickwork. A concentric ring of brickwork decorates the underside of the peripheral domes, mostly in the arcades surrounding the central courtyard.
Layout[edit]
Inspires Humayun Mosque in Agra. An arabesque quadrangle garden leads to the mosque.
The layout has four tiers. A central courtyard surrounds prayer halls. Each cardinal direction has an iwan. It measures 169 by 97 feet. 33 arches line the aisled galleries.
A pierced screen was commonly found on Mughal funerary monuments, but not in mosques. If the speaker's voice exceeds 100 decibels, it is possible to hear him or her from the other end. The main prayer hall can be heard throughout the building. I].
This building lacks minarets. In Pakistan, there are 93 domes.
Iwans in the mosque's courtyard
Conservation[edit]
It was restored by Aurangzeb in 1692 and completed by Murad Ali Khan Talpur in 1812. UNESCO tentatively inscribed the mosque on its World Heritage list in 1993, but it isn't as well preserved as the Wazir Khan Mosque or Badshahi Mosque.