Lahore, Pakistan The Masjid Badshahi is the greatest mosque built during the Mughal period. Many incorrectly attribute it to Shah Jahan, the great emperor-builder of the Mughals; but it was in fact constructed by his son and successor, Aurangzeb. It is nevertheless considered to be the pinnacle of the Shah Jahan period, as the Masjid Badshahi represented everything that was … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2015
TAJ MAHAL
Agra, Uttar Pradesh Shah Jahan was one of the greatest builders in history, and his mind-boggling mosques grace many cities throughout India and Pakistan. However, it is not for his mosques for which he is best known, but rather for a mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. Built in memory of his beloved wife, the Taj Mahal is many things; an Islamic shrine, a monument to love, and the … [Read more...]
MOSQUES OF SHAH JAHAN (JAMA MASJID, MASJID WAZIR KHAN)
Delhi, India & Lahore, Pakistan The last great Turkic empire to arise in Central Asia was that of the Mughals, which at its height in the late Middle Ages dominated much of Afghanistan, Persia, Pakistan and India. Nominally descended from the empire of Timur, the Mughal Empire reached its peak during the reign of Shah Jahan in the 17th century. Shah Jahan, who was … [Read more...]
SULEIMAN MOUNTAIN
Osh, Kyrgyzstan Suleiman Mountain has been venerated as a sacred place since ancient times. Named in honor of the Qu’ranic Prophet Suleiman, who may or may not be the same person as King Solomon of the Hebrew Bible, the mountain has been visited by religious pilgrims since well before the advent of Islam. The mountain itself is an absolutely amazing rock formation which … [Read more...]
KHAST IMAM MOSQUE (MASJID KHAST IMAM)
Tashkent, Uzbekistan Generally speaking, the most revered artifacts of Islam that have survived the centuries have been preserved in places that make geographical sense: Mecca, Cairo, Istanbul and so forth. So it is unusual that the Uthman Qur’an, believed to be the oldest known copy of the Qur’an and which according to tradition was once in the possession of Uthman, Ali or … [Read more...]
SHAH I ZINDA NECROPOLIS
Samarkand, Uzbekistan Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Samarkand marked the frontier of the Islamic world in Central Asia. Although Muslims could be found beyond, it was for many years the most remote great Islamic city in the east. Situated at the geographical heart of the Silk Route between China and the Middle East, it was consistently ranked among the world’s most … [Read more...]
MOSQUES OF FATH ALI SHAH (MASJID SOLTANI)
Teheran, Iran Teheran is one of the youngest major cities in Iran, and despite the fact that it is the national capital and the second largest city in the Middle East after Cairo, it boasts virtually no ancient or medieval mosques of significance. That said, when Teheran did begin to come into its own as the political center of Persia, the rulers of the Safavid and Qajar … [Read more...]
IMAM KHOMEINI SQUARE
Esfahan, Iran Imam Khomeini Square is a public square, one of the largest in the Middle East, that many Iranians hold dear as the cultural heart of their country. It is one of the most popular tourism sites in Iran, and though it lacks the religious importance of Qom or Mashhad, the Imam Khomeini Square does not lack for gawking visitors, both Muslim and non-Muslim. The … [Read more...]
GOLESTAN PALACE
Teheran, Iran Persia is arguably the world’s oldest, most continuous state. Since the days of the Medes in the 1st Millenium BC, a procession of nations has existed in this neighborhood that roughly conform to Iran’s modern-day borders. Despite conquests by the Greeks, Arabs and Mongols, Persia’s geography has remained more or less intact. In the ensuing twenty five … [Read more...]
MOSQUES OF SHIRAZ (MASJID VAKIL, MASJID NASIR AL-MULK, MADRASSA KHAN)
Shiraz, Iran Shiraz is one of the oldest and most historically important cities in Iran. In addition to its prominence in ancient times, it has served as the capital of Islamic Persia twice, most recently in the 18th century. Many of the city’s most prominent mosques and other religious institutions were built or refurnished during the Qajar period, notably the Masjid Nasir … [Read more...]
