Fading splendour of Thatta's Shah Jahani mosque

[Devil Soul]

Fading splendour of Thatta's Shah Jahani mosque
AFP
THATTA: Legend says when construction on Pakistan's Shah Jahani mosque was destroyed in 1644, advisers to the Mughal governor told him to find someone "who is so pious that he has committed no sin in all his life" to lay the foundation.

Bells rang out with the message, calling on such men to come in the darkness of the night and lay a stone in the grounds of the mosque, which was being constructed on the orders of Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor best known for building the Taj Mahal.

The next day, 450 bricks were found placed in the foundations at the site in the town of Thatta.

"And thus the construction work started taking off," said Syed Murad Ali Shah, the ninth generation heir to Amir Khan, then-governor of Sindh.

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, a Pakistani worshipper offers prayers at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, a Pakistani custodian shows original brickworks at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, shows detail of stonework at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP


"There were hundreds of pious men and saints in those old good times, but there are none today to salvage the mosque," he said, standing outside the centuries-old structure, its grandeur now threatened by time, exposure, neglect and negligence.

Completed in 1647 by thousands of labourers, the Shah Jahani mosque is a rare example of Pakistan's Mughal heritage outside of the country's cultural centre of Lahore, with its famous fort and Badshahi mosque.

Thatta was for centuries the historic capital of Lower Sindh, and the central mosque would fill to capacity on Fridays and during Eid.

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, Pakistani tourists offer prayers at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP Photo

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, Pakistani tourists gather at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP Photo

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, a Pakistani custodian sweeps at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP Photo


Spanning more than 6,300 square feet, it was famously constructed so that an imam's voice could travel to every corner without amplification, pinging through dozens of domes lining the corridors surrounding its vast courtyard.

But as Thatta's importance declined after the 18th century, the mosque too fell into disrepair.

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, Pakistani beggars gather at the entrance to the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP Photo

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, Pakistani tourists offer prayers at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP Photo

 

[Devil Soul]

Poor reconstruction work carried out in the 1970s by the federal government inflicted irreparable damage to original features including its unique auditory system.

"Many things were replaced during the repair work, and the replacements have ruined the original immaculate work, as well as disturbing the sound system," said Mohammad Ali Manji, principal of the Government College Thatta.

"No conservationist or archaeologist was consulted (for the repair) work, so its originality was badly damaged," said Qasim Ali Qasim, director of the Sindh Archaeology Department.

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, Pakistani tourists pose for photographs at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP Photo

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, a Pakistani worshipper offers prayers at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP


The facade of the mosque's arched entrance was damaged during the repairs, with stones engraved with Quranic verses removed and taken to the National Museum in Karachi then dumped in a junkyard.

They were retrieved earlier this year only to be installed in a replica of the mosque's arch built at the entrance to the museum, a move that enraged mosque prayer leaders who wanted them returned.

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, Pakistani tourists pose for photographs at the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP

In this photograph taken on March 24, 2016, a kid is running through a hallway of the historical Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta in southern Sindh province.—AFP


Qasim said efforts are being made to drain groundwater threatening the structure of the mosque, which still draws a small number of worshippers.

While fascinated tourists can be seen posing for selfies before the intricate mosaic tiles on the foot-thick walls, slowly being sundered from the red bricks beneath them by humidity.

But, Qasim said, despite the mosque's unique and historic qualities, there are no plans for any further restoration of its fading splendour.

 

[Arsalan]

Man these journalists, they will go places, search for some thing, then search the whole building and find some flaws and start shouting about that.

I was in Hyderabad last December and had an opportunity to visit this mosque that is some 40 min drive from where i was. It is AMAZING, i really cant describe the calm and peace in words. Its so airy you literally feel the air BLOWING in the corridors and as soon as you step out of the corridor its gone. This is all due to the engineering marvel of those men, the designed the corridors with such perfection that air actually blows through them circulating the whole mosque. These little domes you see in the pictures above, the mosque have 101 such little domes and that give such an exquisite acoustic effect of Azaan, WOW!! Worth a visit.

And it is no where near the sorry picture being depicted in this article. It is in pretty fine shape, can work with some extra workman ship but it still in pretty decent shape unlike the article suggest. It is things like that, things that you know personally about that make you doubt anything and everything these journalists have to say in the future.

 

[Arsalan]

Here, i though it will be better if i share some images from my recent visit.