Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum

Background

The mosque was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir in the honour of his mother, Begum Mariyam Zamani, who was also known as 'Maharani Jodha Bai. Mariyam Zamani was also wife of Mughal Emperor, Akbar.

Location

The mosque is located inside the old Masti Gate in the Walled City of Lahore.

History

Construction began in 1611 and lasted until 1614. The Mosque of Mariyam Zamani was temporarily turned into a gunpowder factory by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, for which it was then known as Barudkhana Wali Masjid ("Gunpowder Mosque"). In 1850 the mosque was returned to the Muslims of Lahore who were able to contribute to its renovation.

Architecture

The Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum represents a transitional phase of architecture, and features both Mughal influences, and influences from the earlier Pashtun Lodi Dynasty which had previously ruled the region. Short domes and wide arches represent the earlier Lodi style, while the mosque's balconies, side rooms, and embellishment are in the Mughal style.

The mosque features Lahore's first five-bay prayer chamber that would later be typical of all later Mughal mosques such as the Wazir Khan Mosque and Badshahi Mosque. The mosque's central bay is in the style of the Persian Char Taq, and is flanked by one smaller dome on either side.

Layout

The mosque's prayer chamber is 130.5 feet long, and 34 feet wide. The hall is divided into 5 bays, topped by three arches - the largest of which is over the central bay. The mosque also features a courtyard which has an ablution pool for Islamic ritual washing.

Interior embellishment

The interior of the mosque features extensive Mughal fresco work, and would be the model for the elaborate and etensive frescoes at the Wazir Khan Mosque a few decades later. Most frescoes are floral in design, and calligraphy on the walls includes non-Quranic text, and is the first mosque in Lahore to feature this practice.

Inscriptions

The northern gateway features a Persian inscription which reads:

God be thanked through whose grace, under the auspices of His Majesty, this building was completed. The founder of the edifice, the place of salvation, is the Queen Mariyam Zamani. For the completion of this edifice, which resembles paradise, I was thinking about when at last I found it in the words 'What a fine mosque!'

While the inscription over the eastern gateway reads:

May the Conqueror of the world, King Nur-ud-Din Muhammad, shine in the world like the sun and moon, oh God!

Over an archway on the northern end of the mosque is a final inscription which reads:

So said the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, "The faithful in a mosque are as fish in water!"

Conservation

Views of the mosque have been obstructed by illegally built shops which have encroached upon the mosque. In July 2016, the Walled City of Lahore Authority announced that the shops would be removed, and the mosque conserved and restored.