Peshawar: Peshawar remained a strategic city where the invaders built places of worship to freely perform religious duties and use its peoples’ strong ties to religion to their advantage to extend their rule.
As the gateway to the subcontinent and the Central Asian States (CAR), Peshawar has always been a strategic city where kings, warriors and invaders built mosques, churches and gurdwaras at prominent places of worship in accordance with their faith, apart from shaping public opinion after conquering it before. to extend their influence over the subcontinent.
Muslim commanders and kings of various dynasties passed through the historic Khyber Pass from the Central Asian Republics (CAR), Afghanistan first staying in Peshawar where they built many mosques and places of worship for Muslims and minorities to promote interfaith harmony and bring people of all faiths. closer
“From the recent GorKathri excavations, it was clear that Islam first spread in the border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan after Sabuktigin, a Turkish slave commander, laid the foundations of the Ghaznavi dynasty in Ghazi in 977 AD in central Afghanistan,” Bakhtzada said. Muhammad, Senior Research Officer of KP Archeology Department while talking to APP.
After the untimely death of Sabuktigin and a rebellion against his son Ismail, Mehmud Ghaznvi gained control of the Ghaznavi kingdom and extended his influence over the Punjab after defeating the Raja of Jaipala of the Shahis of Kabul at the Battle of Peshawar in 1001 AD,” he said. .
As a result, Islam took root in Bannu, Waziristan, Khyber and other border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where construction of large and small mosques was initiated. “An inscription in Arabic engraved in black marble was found in 1984 on the slopes of the hill below Raja Gira Castle, confirming the establishment of the historic Odigram Mosque in Swat (also known as the Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi Mosque built in 1048 AD by the order of General Amir Nustagin of Ghaznavi, which attracted worshipers in droves in Ramazan.
The construction of small and large mosques, including the historic Yakagund Mosque in Mohmand district, the Sheikh Habib Mosque in 1650 in Bala Manari and the Gunj gate alais Khawja Maroof Mosque about 600 years ago, established in Peshawar by Muslim rulers of various dynasties, as a result, Islam gained in these regions flourished.
After the conquest of Peshawar, the Mughal rulers started construction work on the iconic Mohabat Khan Mosque in 1660-70 by the then governor of Peshawar, Nawab Mohabat Khan. A fusion of Islamic and Mughal architecture, the small part of Mohabat Khan was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan and the main part by King Aurangzeb Alamgir with beautiful white marble. The mosque was finally completed in 1680 and later renovated in 1898 after vandalism by the Sikh rulers,” he said.
The British took control of Peshawar in 1949; the mosque was renovated and handed over to the people of Peshawar for worship. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, refugee tribal elders gathered in the mosque to create unity among Afghans against the Soviet invaders.
The fortunes took a positive turn when the KP government declared the Mohabad Khan Mosque as a historical site in 1982 and took over its administrative control to the Auqaf Department. Built on a high knoll at Andar Sher Bazaar near the historic Chowkyadgar in Peshawar city, worshipers enter its vast open courtyard of 30,155 square feet with a capacity to accommodate about 30,000 worshipers at a time, in addition to a centrally located swimming pool and one row of rooms lining the outer walls with two tall minarets that enhanced its appearance even more.
The facade of the prayer hall is also topped with six smaller decorative minarets that flank the mosque’s five arched entrances, with two more minarets and a prayer hall topped by three stunning domes that attract the attention of visitors.
The ceiling of the mosque has been decorated with elegant red frescoes with geometric and floral motifs, while its exterior has been decorated with Mughal frescoes that enhance its beauty.
“The Mohabat Khan Mosque is the identity of Peshawar due to its unique architecture and glorious ancient history. For the past 12 years, I have been regularly coming to this historic mosque in Peshawar for Jumma prayer, Namaz e Tarveh and Mahfil-e-Shabina of Ramazan ul Mubarak as its spiritual ambience brings the worshipers to a new world,” said Zahid Shinwari, former President of Sarhad Business and Chamber of Industry in an interview with a press agency.
He said that the architecture of Mohabat Khan Mosque is the jewel of Peshawar and attracts tourists and archeology lovers from all over the country. The traders who leased shops from the Auqaf department increased the size of their shops by many feet by digging additional small huts and encroaching on the entrance and surrounding areas of the mosque, which adversely affected its external appearance.
The construction of illegally built large plazas and shops around the mosque adversely affected its exterior architecture and necessitated the demolition of all these illegal structures to restore its original magnificence and architectural designs.
“The mosque recently underwent heavy conservation work after sanctioning Rs 87.70 million for the conservation project of Mohabat Khan Mosque. We have almost completed rehabilitation and conservation work on its minarets, domes, treatment plant and other parts without compromising its Mughal era architectural designs.”
Former Chief Minister Mahmood Khan during his visit to Mohabat Khan Mosque raised the project allocation to Rs 160 million with focus on expansion works and the amount was used for its beautification, decoration and lighting system to increase its appearance at night on the pattern of Peshawar Museum to promote religious and cultural tourism.
Architectural grandeur of Mohabat Khan Mosque attracts visitors, archeology lovers
