Type: Monument - Mosque
Province: Punjab
District: Multan
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 1526 - 1857 CE
Description: It is located in Usmanabad Colony, Khanewal Road off Mutan-Lahore High way in the Northeast of the oldest part of the city. The Shahi Eid Gah Mosque is an early 18th-century mosque located in Multan. The mosque was built in 1735 CE during the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah on the northern outskirts of Multan and also used as Eidgah where people of Multan used to assemble for Eid prayes. The mosque was funded by Nawab Abdul Samad Khan, who was the Mughal governor of Multan. Following the fall of Multan to Sikh forces, the mosque was converted into a garrison and was used for gunpowder storage. In 1848, the mosque served as site where Sikh rebels, supported by a group of 2,000 soldiers that surrounded the mosque, murdered two British emissaries. The event lead to the Siege of Multan and eventual defeat of the Sikh rule. In subsequent fighting, a British cannon struck the roof of the mosque, causing 40,000 pounds of gunpowder to explode, destroying a portion of the mosque. The mosque was used as a court during the early British period in Multan. It was restored and returned to its original purpose in 1891 CE at the insistence of Deputy Commissioner H.C. Cookson. After the independence of Pakistan, the courtyard was expanded to accommodate more worshippers. The mosque is spacious, with a vast courtyard and a prayer chamber measuring 76 m by 16 m, and features seven domes. The mosques exterior is embellished with glazed blue Multan-style tiles, while the interior is ornamented with intricate mosaics. The mosque is oriented north-south with a slight cant to the southwest, allowing its Qibla wall to face perpendicular to Mecca. It comprises seven domed chambers symmetrically arranged in a long row, measuring 76 x 16 meters. An enormous courtyard faces the mosque to the east with entrances on the north, east, and south. Then as now, the mosque functioned as an Eidgah, a special mosque used for Eid prayers (e.g., the morning of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) which was usually located in an open area outside major cities to allow the city`s entire population to gather for the major holidays. Eidgah mosques are common in South Asia though they are commonly found throughout the Muslim world, going by different names. The design of the mosque is fairly restrained, possibly owing to the declining financial situation of the Mughal empire in the early 18th century, as well as its sponsorship by the local governor rather than the Emperor himself. In form, it is reminiscent of typical Mughal-era mosques which featured symmetrical facades with an odd number of bays (usually 3, 5, or 7), corner minarets, a gateway-like opening on the central bay, one or more domes, and copious fresco decoration. The design of the Shahi Eid Gah clearly inspired later examples such as the Abbasi Mosque of Bahawalpur, built in 1849 of more refined materials such as marble which were unavailable (or too expensive) for Abdul Samad Khans administration. Instead, Abdul Samad Khan made liberal use of the Multani tradition of blue-and-white glazed tiles which prominently cover large areas of the facade, particularly the central bay. The mosque was extensively damaged and the Custodians of the mosque from the family of Sahibzada Ahmad Saeed Kazmi are restoring the mosque with finances being raised by them.
Latitude: 30.210794444
Longitude: 71.478938889
Ownership: Private
Legal Status: Protected by Punjab Heritage Foundation Act
Title of Publication: Miscellaneous
Published In: Miscellaneous
Year of Publication: Miscellaneous
Bibliography/Reference: Miscellaneous
