Wazir Khan Mosque, in focus here, is an awe-inspiring monument. A monument exemplifying the magnificence of Islamic architecture! Built in Lahore, Pakistan, about four hundred years ago, by a physician of Mughal emperors: ‘Ilm al-Din Ansari, better known as Wazir Khan, the mosque was his homage to his revered saint Muhammad Ishaq Ghazrini. The Wazir Khan Mosque is now a household name for denizens of not only Lahore, but the whole of the subcontinent.
The Mosque is veritably an album, a repertoire of inscriptions, floral motifs, geometric designs and arabesques in their finest form – which make it something more than just a place of worship. The stellar half dome of the iwan is a magic in itself – for its intricacies cannot be observed with naked eye. Besides a diversity of intriguing shapes, there is also a rich variety of material which has been used to fashion the beauty of the mosque.
Even if a lot has already been written on this grand edifice, this is perhaps the first exhaustive study of the Wazir Khan Mosque – both in words and pictures. Painstakingly researched by the author and her guide: Dr Shaukat Mahmood, Professor, Research Centre, College of Art and Design, Punjab University, Lahore, the book meticulously examines every aspect of the mosque, notably, its history, decorative motifs, inscriptions, calligraphy, ambigrams, minbars, lofty minarets, water-supply system, materials and techniques employed in its ornamentation, and also the various marvellous star shapes that adorn it. Also in focus is the tomb of Sayyid Muhammad Ishaq Kazirun – the saint in whose honour Wazir Khan had built the mosque. The book is replete with exquisite photographs.
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