Design and reseach by:

Hamida Abdul Rauf

Mughal
Architecture
of Pakistan

This booklet has been designed

to enlighten the splendor and beauty
of the Mughal era.

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Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Lahore
Fort

The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as

Shahi Qila is citadel of the city of
Lahore. It is located in the largest
urban parks in Pakistan. The trapezoidal area is spread over 20 hectares.
The existing base structure was built
during the reign of Akbar between
15561605. It has two gates one is
known as Alamgiri Gate build by
Emperor Aurangzeb.
It opens towards Badshahi Mosque,
and the other older one known as
Masjidi Gate which opens towards the
Masti Gate Area of Walled City and it
was built by Emperor Akbar.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Below, Badshahi
Masjid, Iqbal Park,
Lahore, Pakistan.

Currently the Alamgiri Gate is used as

the principal entrance while Masti
Gate is permanently closed .
The fort is clearly divided into two
sections: first the administrative
section, which is well connected with
main entrances, and comprises larger
garden areas and Diwan-e-khas for
royal audiences.
The fort manifests the rich traditions
of Mughal architecture. Some of the
famous sites inside the fort include:
Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate,
Naulakha pavilion, and Moti Masjid.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Badshahi
Masjid

Among the few mosques created by

Aurangzeb Alamgir, the most famous
is the Badshahi Masjid at Lahore.
Created in 1084/1674, it has been
rated as one of the biggest houses of
prayer in Pakistan today.
While most of the exterior of this
mosque has been treated with red
sandstone with bold marble inlay, the
interior has been enriched with stucco
ornamentation of various colors.
The interior of the central compartment of the Aiwan has white marble
facing on the arches of the four sides
on which rosettes and stylized leaves
have been created boldly.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Below, Badshahi
Masjid, Iqbal Park,
Lahore, Pakistan.

The Badshahi Mosque, or in Persian

Padshahi Masjed, meaning the
'Imperial Mosque') in Lahore,
commissioned by the sixth Mughal
Emperor Aurangzeb in 1671 and
completed in 1673, is the second
largest mosque in Pakistan and South
Asia and the fifth largest mosque in
the world.
Epitomising the beauty, passion and
grandeur of the Mughal era, it is
Lahore's most famous landmark and
a major tourist attraction.[1] It is
located in Iqbal Park in Lahore,
Pakistan which is one of the largest
urban parks in Pakistan.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Hiran Minar
& Baradari

It was constructed by Emperor

Jahangir as a monument to Mansraj,
one of his pet deer. The high minar
was erected in 1607 and named after
a favorite antelope of the emperor
who died suddenly.
A Baradari, octagonal on plan, stands
in the centre of the tank. It was built
on the brick platform in 1620 under
orders of Emperor Jahangir. It was
modified and enlarged during the
reign of Shahjahan.
The Baradari is a two storied building
with an open octagonal pavilion on
the top. The main octagonal hall on
the ground floor is surrounded by
eight square and rectangular rooms
of different sizes.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Below, Hiran Minar,

Shiekhupura, Panjab,
Pakistan

Unique features of this complex are

the antelope's grave and the
distinctive water collection system.
On the east is located a big tank with
a causeway leading to the octagonal
baradri. A square shaped pavilion Is
added at each corner and a gateway
on the north-east. The tank is
rectangular in shape, having a ramp
on each side.
The tank has been devised in three
stages. The corner pavilions have
arched openings and low pyramidal
roofs. Water is supplied to the tank
through the feeding-channels and
filtration tanks.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Wah
Garden

Mughal Garden Wah is an elaborate

garden dating back to the era of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great
(1542-1605).
The Emperor Shah Jahan stayed at
Wah while on his way to Kabul in
1639. He called his central construction department and ordered the
reconstruction of the buildings.
Ahmed Maamar Lahoree, a famous
architect of those days, planned out
the gardens, palaces and inns.
The construction was performed
under his supervision and took two
years. The garden was made in the
Mughal construction style. He made
beautiful twelve door structures,
canals and waterfalls.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Below, Wah garden,

Wah city, Panjab,
Pakistan.

Shah Jahan stayed at the gardens on

his trips to Kabul four times after
their completion.
The inner portion of the structures
has been plastered. The walls of the
smaller rooms have been decorated
with flowers and petals. He made
bathrooms having mixture of cold
and hot water.
Considering the historical importance
of the gardens and their artistic
construction, the Government of
Pakistan handed over the garden to
the department of Archeology to
look after and to initiate repairs.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Wazir Khan
Masjid

The Wazir Khan Mosque is situated in

the heart of the old city. It is famous
for its extensive faience tile work. It
has been described as 'a mole on the
cheek of Lahore'.
It was built in seven years, starting
around 16341635 AD, during the
reign of the Shah Jehan. It was built
by Hakil Ilmud-Din Ansari, commonly
known as Wazir Khan, a Viceroy of the
Panjab under Shahjahan.
Besides being an administrator, he
had a refined taste of architecture
and under his supervision, were
erected some of the best of Moghul
monuments of the period.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Below, Wazir Khan

Masjid, Shahi Guzargah,
Lahore, Pakistan.

The mosque contains some of the

finest examples of Qashani tile work
from the Mughal period. Within the
courtyard of the mosque lies the
subterranean tomb of Syed Muhammad Ishaq, known as Miran Badshah.
The imposing gateway is crowned
with a dome and reveted wih colorful
tile mosaics. The prayer chamber of
five compartments has a dome, four
octagonal minarets, two double
storied flat pavilions and a row of
blind cloisters n all the three sides.
A lollywood movie was based in this
very Mosque. "Khuda Ke Liye (For
God Sake)".

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Shahjahan
Masjid

The Shah Jahan Mosque is located in

Thatta, Sindh province, Pakistan. It
was built during the reign of Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan.
The Shah Jahan Mosque was
constructed by the eponymous
Emperor as a gift to the people of
Sindh. It has a total of 93 domes.
Stylish floral patterns decorate the
spandrels of the main arches.
It is built predominantly of heavy
brick and with blue coloured glaze
tiles which is thought to be imported
from the town of Haala, Sindh. It is
laid out in the usual quadrilateral
arrangement with a large (52 x 30
meter) courtyard at its center.

Mughal Architecture of Pakistan

Below, Shah Jahan

Masjid, Thatta,
Pakistan.

One acoustical feature is that the

prayers of anyone speaking loudly in
front of the mihrab (the prayer niche
facing Mecca) can be heard clearly
throughout the building.
It was not until 1658-59 that the
eastern portion of the building and
the gateway were completed. Later
repairs were undertaken under
Emperor Alamgir.
Further renovations took place in
1855 and in 1894 during the British
period. More recently, the mosque
was restored during the 1960s and
70s.It has been on the UNESCO
World Heritage list since 1993.

The image on the cover page is

of a dome in Shah Jahan
Masjid at Thatta.