Shah Jahan Mosque, also known as the Jamia Masjid of Thatta which operates as a mosque in the center of Thatta city, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The mosque is considered one of the finest exhibits of tile work in South Asia, and is noted for its geometric brick work – a rare decorative item in mosques of the Mughal period.jamia masjid shah jahan thatta
Jamia Masjid Shah Jahan Thatta was built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who gave the city as a token of gratitude, and was greatly influenced by the architecture of Central Asia – an exhibition of Shah Jahan’s campaigns near Samarkand just before the mosque was designed.
Jamia Masjid Shah Jahan Location
Shah Jahan Mosque History
Shah Jahan fled to Thatta from his father, Governor Jahangir, after he rebelled against his father. Shah Jahan was impressed by the hospitality shown to the people of Sindhi, and he ordered the construction of a mosque as a token of gratitude. jamia masjid shah jahan thatta
The construction of the mosque is also likely to be motivated by a desire to help alleviate the effects of the devastating hurricane that hit the region in 1637, and that almost destroyed Thatta.jamia masjid shah jahan thatta
Shah Jahan’s campaigns in Central Asia during this period influenced the style of the mosque buildings, as Timurid influences were introduced into the Mughal Empire as his forces suppressed near Samarkand, in modern Uzbekistan.
Despite the fact that the Emperor was not in the region at the time of its construction, so it was not possible for him to be directly involved in its construction, its extensive tile-work and intricate brickwork shows that it was funded by a Mughal state fund. jamia masjid shah jahan thatta
Shah Jahan Masjid Design
Persian inscriptions in the mosque indicate that it was composed between 1644 and 1647, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The eastern expansion was completed in 1659, during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb.
The mihrab of the mosque had long been mistakenly associated with Mecca. An unidentified Sufi man, Makhdum Nooh, who is buried in the nearby town of Hala is said to have been approached by the organizers of the mosque to fix its order.
A popular tradition asserts that Makhdum Nooh then corrected the mistake overnight with the power of his prayer, thus affirming his status as a saint. Historical records show that the mihrab of the mosque was actually rebuilt a century after the construction of the mosque.
Jamia Masjid Shah Jahan Architecture
The architectural style of the Shah Jahan Mosque is strongly influenced by Turkish and Persian styles. The mosque is characterized by extensive brick construction and the use of blue tiles, both of which were influenced by the Timurid architecture of Central Asia – where former Sindh emperors, the Tarkhans, worshiped before the region. was taken by the Mughals in 1592.
The widespread use of tiles is considered to be a very detailed demonstration of the tile work in the Indian Subcontinent. Unlike the Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore, another mosque of the Shah Jahan period, the mosque in Thatta does not use fresco facilities.jamia masjid shah jahan thatta
The dome of the mosque is adorned with beautiful blue and white tiles arranged with star patterns to represent the skies. The walls include calligraphic tile work, signed by Abdul Ghafur and Abdul Sheikh.
The design of the mosque may have been influenced by the Timurid Conservative-style Humayun Mosque in Kachhpura, near the city of Agra, in modern-day India. The main entrance to the Islamic building passes through a Persian-style charbagh, or a quadrangle garden.
It has a structure of four iwan. The main prayer hall is to the west of its central courtyard, which includes the iwans, or sites, on each side of the four main directions. The yard is rectangular, measuring 169 and 97 feet. Surrounded by gallery galleries, surrounded by 33 arches.
Restoration & Conservation of Jamia Masjid Shah Jahan Thatta
Restoration projects were carried out by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1692, and Murad Ali Khan Talpur in 1812. The mosque was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993, but has not yet been preserved with high standards such as the Wazir Khan Mosque or the Badshahi Mosque in northern Pakistan.
