Lahore
entrance
gate of Badshahi mosque seen from inside the courtyard
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gate of Badshahi mosque seen from inside the courtyard |
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The Imperial or Badshahi Mosque is located across the courtyard from the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort. It was built, entirely of red sand-stone, by Emperor Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals, in a record time of two and a half years. Its construction was completed by 1674 AD.The entrance gate of the mosque measures a good 21 metres in length and leads to a courtyard about 160 x 160 metres. It is said to be the largest mosque courtyard for outdoor prayers in the world. Elegant marble domes cover seven prayer chambers. Four lofty minarets stand at the four corners of the mosque, each with an outer circumference of 20 metres, soaring up to 54 metres. | |