Type: Monument - Mosque
Province: Gilgit-Baltistan
District: Shigar
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 14th-15th Century CE
Description: This mosque was originally built and used as a Khanqah, and is fabled to have been built by Kashmiri craftsmen travelling with Syed Ali Hamdani, the famous Muslim preacher. It now consists of a main prayer hall, and an entrance verandah on its eastern side. The hall consists of a central column, two carved windows on the eastern wall, and a mihrab (niche) on the west. The structure itself is built with a timber frame and a stone infill. The mosques roof has two layers: The first, a flat Juniper roof, is visible from inside the mosque, and the second, gabbled upper layer is visible from the outside. The outer roof is topped with a Tibetan tower. The exposed timber elements of the mosque are profusely decorated with carvings and motifs borrowed from Tibetan, Kashmiri and Mughal architecture. Impressive engravings decorate the projected roof beams, interrupting the monotony of the building. The entrance verandah has been modified more recently so as to be raised on both sides, with a central sunken area now used to access the mosque.
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Published In: Unpublished
Year of Publication: Miscellaneous
Bibliography/Reference: Anonymous
