The Wazir Khan Mosque is 17th century mosque located 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. It is on the UNSCO World Heritage Tentative List.
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 meter’s 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, and the Chitta
Gate.
The mosque is built on an elevated plinth, with
the main portal opening onto the Wazir Khan Chowk. The outer perimeter of
the Wazir Khan Mosque measures 279 feet (85 m) by 159 feet (48 m),
with the long axis parallel to the Shahi Guzargah. It was built with
bricks laid in kankad lime.
Wazir
Khan Mosque is renowned for its elaborate
embellishment in a style which draws from the decorative traditions from
several regions. While other monuments in Lahore from the Shah Jahan period
feature intricate kashi-kari tile work, none match the enormous scale
of the Wazir Khan Mosque.
