Type: Monument - Mosque
Province: Gilgit-Baltistan
District: Shigar
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 14th-15th Century CE
Description: This mosque covers an area measuring 6 x 5.4 m. The verandah is 1.8 m wide to the east. It is built on a low platform, situated in Ambark settlement, Shiger Valley, 30 km north from Skardu. Tradition holds that this ancient mosque is built by Sayyed Ali Hamadani the great preacher of Islam in this region. It was built in 783 A.H., when the population of Shiger was converted from Lamaism to Islam. The sophisticated architecture of this mosque has clear affinities with a more consolidated artistic tradition such as that of Kashmir. Old carvings are found here and the style is ornate and charming. Above the mihrab is an inscription incised in wooden surface. Another inscription found on the cornice of the door comprises of the Kalima. The roof is surmounted by a drum with a finial. The Quba has collapsed and kept inside the mosque during a survey in 1982. Now whole the mosque is restored by Agha Khan Culture and good presentation and boosting of cultural tourism in this region of the world.
Latitude: 35.407167000
Longitude: 75.735500000
Ownership: Private
Legal Status: Not Protected
Title of Publication: Built Heritage of Gilgit Baltistan by Baltistan Culture and Development Foundation
Published In: Baltistan Culture and Development Foundation
Year of Publication: Miscellaneous
Bibliography/Reference: Anonymous
