History:
In the past, Hakeem Ilam-ud-din Ansari, popularly known as Wazir Khan, was the chief physician of the Mughal Court and the one who ordered the construction of the Wazir Khan Mosque. Subsequently, Wazir Khan assumed the role of Viceroy of Punjab, or "subahdar," and he oversaw the construction of several other monuments in Lahore. The renowned Sufi saint Miran Badshah was buried in the Wazir Khan Mosque, which he constructed in 1634 on a vast plot of ground close to the Delhi Gate and owned.
There once stood an old shrine dedicated to the saint in the Wazir Khan Mosque's location. The Maryam Zamani Mosque was replaced with the mosque, which is now the main mosque in Lahore for congregational Friday prayer.
The town square in front of the mosque's main entrance and a row of stores that were typically occupied by calligraphers and bookbinders made up the wider complex that included the mosque.
Additionally, it oversaw the nearby Shahi Hammam and leased space on the northern and eastern facades of the mosque to various merchant classes. The proceeds from these events were intended to create a "waqf," or endowment, for the maintenance of the mosque. Where The mosque is located along Shahi Guzargah, popularly known as "Royal Road," in Lahore. It was the customary path for Mughal aristocrats to travel to their regal residences at the Lahore Fort, which is why it got its name.
Location:
The mosque is located west of the Delhi Gate, a few hundred meters away. The Shahi Hammam, also called the Wazir Khan Hammam, is located here in the mosque. From the mosque, one can also see the town square, Wazir Khan Chowk, and the Chitta Gate. Design The main prayer hall, courtyard, and entryway are the three main components of the mosque's layout. Arrival Entrance to the Wazir Khan Mosque is via the rectangular, Timurid-style iwan, which also functions as a gate. From the iwan, which is engraved with Persian quatrains ('Rubai'), balconies stretch to the left and right. These quatrains are credited to Muhammad Ali, a follower of the Sufi saint Hazrat Mian Mir, for their calligraphy.
The "Calligrapher’s Bazaar," situated at the heart of the mosque, has a covered octagonal chamber accessible by the iwan. The first "charsu" bazaar, or four-axis market, in South Asia is where the octagonal chamber is situated. The mosque's entrance gate is connected in a straight line to the center of the main prayer hall, with the calligrapher's bazaar oriented along two of the four axes.
Courtyard:
Courtesy Visitors can enter the mosque's courtyard after going via the Calligrapher's Bazaar and the octagonal chamber. The 160-by-130-foot courtyard is surrounded by tall arched galleries that lead to the interior. Mosques in Iran built during the Persian Empire often have this attribute. Ablution takes place in a 35-square-foot pool located in the mosque's courtyard.
Miran Badshah:
Syed Muhammad Ishaq Gazruni, popularly known as Miran Badshah, was a Sufi saint who lived in the fourteenth century. His tomb is located in the courtyard's underground crypt.
Furthermore, 32 study cloisters, also referred to as "khannas," are utilized by religious scholars around the courtyard on four sides. The mosque's four 107-foot-tall minarets are situated at each of the four corners of the courtyard.
Prayer Hall:
The prayer hall, which is about 130 feet by 42 feet, is located at the far end of the courtyard. In addition, the hall has a north-south direction and is a single aisle split into five sections.
Following custom:
The prayer hall's central section features a 31-foot-tall by 23-foot-diameter dome; additionally, the other four sections have smaller domes atop them that are 21 feet tall by 19 feet in diameter and are constructed in a manner that is evocative of early Lodhi dynasty architecture. The prayer hall's left and rightmost sections feature staircases that lead to the roof. The interior of the building is also embellished with Persian and Arabic calligraphy, with smaller calligraphy pieces combining to create a distinctive mosaic design.
Punjab Government action:
Following this, the Punjab Government (GOP) began conservation and restoration work in 2004. In 2007, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture became involved in the GOP's ongoing restoration efforts. Both parties began a thorough investigation of the mosque two years later, in 2009, as part of a broader initiative to repair several locations in Lahore. In 2015, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) terminated conservation efforts. The prayer hall's central dome's acoustic design, which reverberates sound, is another architectural marvel. This makes it possible to project the imam's discourse throughout the courtyard without using speakers.
Conservation Efforts:
Environmental Protection Initiatives The 1880s saw the writing of Rudyard Kipling's father, John Lockwood Kipling, who described the Wazir Khan Mosque's opulence and ornate detail. On the other hand, academics such as Fred Henry Andrews reported in 1903 that the mosque was in poor condition. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the mosque in its preliminary list of World Heritage Sites in 1993.