The Badshahi Mosque ( Punjabi , Urdu : بادشاہی مسجد ) is an iconic Mughal-era congregational mosque in Lahore , Punjab , Pakistan . [1] [2] The mosque is located opposite of Lahore Fort in the outskirts of the Walled City and is widely considered to be one of Lahore's most iconic landmarks. [3]
The Badshahi Mosque was built between 1671 and 1673 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb . The mosque is an important example of Mughal architecture , with an exterior that is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay. It remains the largest mosque of the Mughal-era, and is the third-largest mosque in Pakistan . [4] In 1799, during the rule of Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire , the mosque's courtyard was used as a stable and its hujras (cells) as soldiers quarters. When the British Empire took control
The sixth Mughal emperor , Aurangzeb , chose Lahore as the site for his new mosque. Aurangzeb, unlike the previous emperors, was not a major patron of art and architecture and instead focused, during much of his reign, on various military conquests which added to the Mughal realm. [5] The mosque was built to commemorate Aurangzeb's military campaigns in southern India, in particular against the Maratha Emperor Shivaji . [4] As a symbol of the mosque's importance, it was built directly across from the Lahore