Most of us are unaware of this Mosque which stands right
opposite to the Akbari Gate of Lahore Fort but hidden among many shops. Known
as Begum Shahi or Mariam Zamani Mosque is the earliest surviving Monument of
the Mughal era and also known as the Mother of all Mosques. The gate of the Walled
City directly leading to this Mosque is the Masti Gate. The gate no longer
exists but a directional sign on the circular road can take one there. Historians
quote that Masti Gate was named after the Mosque and as Masjidi Gate. Over the
passage of time the name was distorted to Masti Gate as known today.
According to different architects this Mughal Mosque in
Lahore is the first to have a five-bay facade that became and pattern for many mosques
built by the Mughals in the subcontinent. The Mosque is finished with brick
masonry and rendered with plaster.
It is a relatively small structure than Wazir Khan and other Mosques of Mughal
era. Originally, the mosque covered an area of 135ft by 127ft which has now been
reduced because of some commercial and residential area built around it,
encroachments are also a factor. In the centre of the Mosque’s courtyard is a water
cistern for ablutions, now in much repaired form and has lost the original look.
The courtyard was paved with brick tiles but it has now been completely re-laid
in modern brick.
The prayer
Chamber, which is 130’-6" long 34’ deep, is divided into five compartments.
A series of high, deep arched recesses set in all five compartments
inside the prayer hall which elevates the sumptuousness of the Mosque. . The
lower shell is almost purely of ‘guchh’ (stucco). Wooden uprights about 3”x
3" in section standing between the upper and lower shells with their ends embedded
in them are a unique feature. It appears that the builders used them as a means
of strengthening and support. The central Mehrab arch is treated with
geometric, floral, and inscriptional stucco ornaments. These geometrical
designs are unique and rarely found in other buildings and monuments. Some
parts of the fresco have been flaked away and some painted with white wash.
Mostly the fresco is intact on the ceilings and heighted walls and corners.
Regular washing of the premises without proper measures has damaged the fresco
work. A proper structural study of the mosque must be carried out by the
concerned authorities in order to list down the damages and water ingress which
can surely harm the building.
The fresco designs include floral and mosaic art work with
line patterns. The importance of Mosque also lies in the exceptional paintings
which are an example of artistic work known as ‘Monnabat kari’. It is defined as art of decorating the surface of objects
with small equilateral triangles painted or made of ivory, wood and brass
twisted wire laid side by side that result in a geometrical pattern. The
Mosque is adorned with several inscriptions, both Quranic and non-Quranic. This characteristic first met with here among
the historic Mughal monuments of Lahore. The non-Quranic inscription is the
name of the founder and the date of completion of the Mosque.
Now coming to the history, the Mosque was built in1611-1614
by the Emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir for his adored mother Mariam Zamani.
There are a few controversies or maybe mysteries about Mariam Zamani. Some
historians claim that it was Jodha the Hindu wife of Mughal Emperor Akbar (Rajkumari
Heer Kunwar of Amber, also known as 'Maharani Jodha Bai' in popular culture) as
recorded in an inscription consisting of three couplets fixed on the northern
gateway, and some say
that it was the Portuguese wife. The mystery who actually was Mariam Zamani is
still unanswered, as every school of thought has its own beliefs and logics.
Among the Mughals, the Queen or the mother of successor to the throne was named
as Mariam ul Zamani or Mariam ul Makani.
Like many other Mughal Monuments
and especially the Mosques, this Mosque endured sundry manipulations in
different eras. It was turned into a gunpowder factory by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and
became prominent as Barood Khana Wali Masjid (the Mosque with gun powder). In
1850 the British Raj handed over the Mosque to the Muslims who restored it to
its original glory. Today may be after partition many modern additions have
been made in the Mosque, but the gorgeous prayer chamber is still intact. The
Mosque is functional and prayers are offered in there. The Mosque no doubt
witnessed seasons of ups and downs, but at present it is praying for its own
restoration.
The Mosque is unnoticeable because of the countless
encroachments upon it. On one side it is encroached upon by the largest shoe
market of Asia, the Moti Bazaar and the part facing Masti Gate is encroached by
the Rim Market the market form alloy rims used in vehicles of all types. The
domes of the mosque can be seen from the roof top of Akbari Gate of Lahore
fort, other than that it is not much visible unless we walk into the markets
crossing the alloy rims and shoes.
The Mosque is matchless, at least, in Pakistan for abstinence
in tone, assortment of designs and elegance.
By Tania
Qureshi
(The
writer is a media professional and can be reached at taniaq29@gmail.com)
