Bahria Town, Lahore, is an upscale neighbourhood where residents are pampered with top-class amenities and luxuries at their doorstep. From parks and commercial centres to educational institutes and healthcare facilities; there’s little left to the imagination when it comes to life in Bahria Town, Lahore. There are also a number of tourist attractions developed in the community, and amongst the many renowned landmarks standing proud in the community, the crème de la crème is undoubtedly the Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town, which is not only the 7th largest in the world but also boasts the largest indoor capacity of worshippers in Pakistan.
Let’s discuss the most amazing features of the Grand Jamia Mosque in detail and how it was built over the years to its current splendour.
About the Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town, Lahore
Bahria Town’s Grand Jamia Mosque is an architectural marvel, showcasing Islamic art and craftsmanship at its finest. It is the 7th largest mosque in the world with a capacity to accommodate 70,000 worshippers at a time. Nayyar Ali Dada designed the mosque, and upon its inauguration on Eid ul Adha in October 2014, the Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town also became the mosque with the largest indoor capacity in Pakistan, with space for about 25,000 worshippers.
The mosque’s construction took several years, with the design being influenced by other famous mosques including the Badshahi Mosque and the Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore, both of which are among the top 10 places to visit in Lahore. Besides thousands of man-hours and unparalleled devotion, the Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town incurred a construction cost of PKR 4 billion. It is located on Bahria Town’s Main Boulevard, next to Juniper and Chambelli Block.
Features of the Grand Jamia Mosque in Lahore
We’ll now discuss some design-related features of Bahria Town’s Grand Jamia Mosque:
The Fascinating Exterior
Built with a large central dome which is surrounded by 20 small ones, the Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town is a sight to behold, especially during the night when each of the domes is lit from within. The structural base of the mosque is lifted about 20 feet from the ground with a roof that rises to 80 feet. Meanwhile, the largest of the domes sits at the height of 40 feet from the ground and spreads over a 50-feet area, making it the crowning jewel of the structure.
The Enclosed Courtyard
The courtyard, modelled after the one in Badshahi Mosque, encloses the prayer area with the help of four arched corridors. A 165-feet minaret rises from each of the four corners of the mosque, giving it a spellbinding appearance. There’s also a fountain placed at the centre of the courtyard that further adds to its beauty.
The Imposing Minarets
One of the major features of the Grand Jamia Mosque is its minarets but what’s unique about them is that they are octagonal and each has a door that can take you to the top of the tower. From the outside, mosaic art decorates the towers with a wooden balcony at the very top. The purpose behind these minarets, however, is not just to intensify the beauty of the structure but to ensure that the call for prayer (Azaan) is heard far and wide from the mosque.
Detailed Finishing
Both the interior and the exterior of the mosque boast detailed finishing of the highest quality, most of which has been done by hand. Aside from the six arched wooden doors, the mosque’s interior is lit using more than 50 Persian chandeliers, along with mosaic tilework and wall frescoes adorning the space. The carpets laid inside the Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town were also specially designed and imported from Turkey.
However, nothing took longer than the exterior of the mosque itself as Bahria Town’s Grand Jamia Mosque boasts an exterior of around 4 million 2.5-inch bricks built from Multani Mitti. The craftwork is commonly known as Brick Gutka, and each brick has to be placed by hand, the completion of which took four years.
The Historic Museum
The Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town is more than a prayer space. It is also home to an Islamic academy and a museum. The academy offers religious courses in the basement of the mosque while the museum is located on the 1st floor and contains a collection of rare Qurans on display. There are also a number of other Islamic artefacts on display here with an Islamic library and an Islamic art gallery sharing the floor with the museum.
The Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town is reflective of the true Islamic style of architecture that we’ve seen over the centuries, taking the best features from some of the most notable mosques in Pakistan and around the world and fusing them into a single construction. The mosque is open for visitors at all times except for prayer times, and also features a dedicated prayer area for women.
If you are buying a house in Bahria Town, Lahore and have some questions about the Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town, email us your queries at blog@zameen.com, and we’ll get back to you with our responses. For more lifestyle posts, stay tuned to Zameen Blog, Pakistan’s leading lifestyle blog.
