Religious Attractions

Sakhi Sarwar is a town in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Pakistan. It is named after a Muslim Sufi saint Syed Ahmad Sultan (RA), also known as Sakhi Sarwar, whose tomb is situated in the vicinity.

The tomb itself was built in the 13th Century in a small village named "Muqam" in the Sulaiman Mountains, 35 kilometres from Dera Ghazi Khan city. It was later expanded by the Mughal king Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur. It is a unique building of Mughal architecture.

An urs, or festival in the honor of Syed Ahmad Sultan (RA), also locally called "Sang Mela", has been celebrated for centuries during Vaisakhi (March - April), with thousands of pilgrims coming to the town from the nearby localities.

Hazrat Khawaja Ghulam Farid Koreja or Khawaja Farid was a 19th Century Punjabi Sufi poet. He was a scholar and writer who knew several different languages. He belonged to Chishti-Nizami Sufi order. He was born in (1845 AD) and died (1901 AD) at Chachran Town and was buried at Mithankot, Punjab. His mother died when he was four years old and he was orphaned around the age of twelve when his father, Khwaja Khuda Bakhsh, died. He was then brought up by his elder brother, Khwaja Fakhr-ud-Din, and grew up to become a scholar and writer. He mastered Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi, and Braj Bhasha, and also wrote poems in Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi, Persian, and Braj Bhasha languages.

Nawab Sadiq Mohammad Khan V of Bahawalpur took Khawaja Farid to his palace at Ahmadpur Sharqia for his religious education by a scholar, when he was 8 years old. His elder brother Khawaja Fakhr-ud-Din who had brought him up after his parents' deaths, also died when Khawaja Ghulam Farid was 28 years old. Khawaja Farid then left for Rohi area or Cholistan Desert and lived 18 years there. Hazrat Khwaja Ghulam Farid Koreja performed Hajj, Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah, in 1876.

His most significant works include:

  • Deewan-e-Farid (poem collection in Multani language, Khawaja Farid composed as many as 272 poems of high literary merit
  • Manaqab-e-Mehboobia (in Persian prose)
  • Fawaid-e-Faridia (in Persian prose)

In his poetry, he frequently uses the symbolism of a desert. Sometimes he touched the topic of political affairs, opposing the British rule in Bahawalpur state.

Hazrat Fariduddin Masud Gunj Shakar known reverentially as Baba Farid or simply as Fariduddin Ganj Shakar, was a 12th Century Muslim preacher and mystic. He was a great Sufi master who was born in (1179 AD) at a village called Kothewal, Multan to Jamal-ud-din Suleiman. He was one of the founding fathers of the Chishti Sufi order. He received his early education at Multan, which had become a centre for Muslim education; it was there that he met his teacher Qutab-ud-Din Bakhtiar Kaki (RA), a noted Sufi saint.

When his education was over, he moved to Delhi, where he learned the Islamic doctrine from his master, Qutab-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki (RD). When Qutab-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki (AD) died in 1235 (AD), Farid became his spiritual successor, and he settled in Ajodhan (the present Pakpattan). On his way to Ajodhan, while passing through Faridkot, he met the Nizam-ud-Din Auliya (AD), who went on to become his disciple, and later his successor Sufi Khalifah.

Hazrat Baba Farid (AD) had three wives and eight children (five sons and three daughters). One of his wives, Hazabara, was the daughter of Sulṭan Nasir-ud-din Maḥmud. The great Arab traveler Ibn Battuta once visited this Sufi saint. Ibn Battuta says that Fariduddin Gunj Shakar was the spiritual guide of the Sultan of Delhi Sultanate, and that the Sultan had given him the village of Ajodhan. He also met Baba Farid's two sons.

Hazrat Baba Farid's descendants, also known as Fareedi, Fareedies or Faridy, mostly carry the name Faruqi. Fariduddin Gunj Shakar's shrine is located in Pakpattan, Punjab. One of Farid's most important contributions to Punjabi literature was his development of the language for literary purposes. Although earlier poets had written in a primitive Punjabi, before Farid there was little in Punjabi literature apart from traditional and anonymous ballads, by using Punjabi as the language of poetry, Farid laid the basis for a vernacular Punjabi literature that would be developed later.

There are various explanations of why Hazrat Baba Farid (AD) was given the title Shakar Gunj ('Treasure of Sugar'). One legend says; his mother used to encourage the young Farid to pray by placing sugar under his prayer mat. Once, when she forgot, the young Farid found the sugar under his prayer mat, an experience that gave him more spiritual fervor and led to his being given the name.

The small Shrine of Hazrat Baba Farid is made of white marble with two doors, one facing east and called the "Nuri Darwaza" (Gate of Light) and the second facing north called “Bahishti Darwaza” (Gate of Paradise). Inside the tomb are two marbled graves, one is Baba Farid's, and the other is his elder son's.

Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari (AD)‎, 595 - 690 AH, 1198 - 1292 AD) was a Sufi saint. He was a follower of Bahauddin Zakariya of the Suhrawardiya order. He is known as Jalal Ganj; Mir Surkh (Red Leader); Sharrifullah (Noble of Allah); Mir Buzurg (Big Leader); Makhdum-ul-Azam; Jalal Akbar; Azim ullah; Sher Shah Jalal Azam and Surkh-Posh Bukhari. With formal honorifics, Bukhari is known as Sayyid Jalaluddin; Mir Surkh Bukhari; Shah Mir Surkh-Posh of Bukhara; Pir Jalaluddin Qutub-al-Aqtab; Sayyid Jalal and Sher Shah Sayyid Jalal.

Bukhari was known as surkh-posh ("clad in red") because he often wore a red cloak. His life was spent travelling. As an Islamic missionary. Bukhari founded the "Jalali" section of the Suhrawardiya order of Sufi. He converted the Samma, the Sial, the Chadhar, the Daher and the Warar tribes of the Southern Punjab and Sindh.

In 1244 (AD) (about 640 AH),Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari (AD) moved to Uch, Punjab with his son, Baha-ul-Halim, where he founded a religious school. He died in about 690 AH (1292 AD) and was buried in Uch. After his tomb was damaged by flood waters of the Ghaggar-Hakra River, Bukhari's remains were buried in Qattal town. In 1027 AH, Sajjada Nashin Makhdoom Hamid, son of Muhammad Nassir-ud-Din, moved Bukhari's remains to their present location in Uch and erected a building over them. In 1670 AD, the tomb was rebuilt by the Nawab of Bahawalpur, Bahawal Khan II.

The brick-built tomb measures 18 meters by 24 meters and its carved wooden pillars support a flat roof and it is decorated with glazed tiles in floral and geometric designs. Mosque consists of a hall, measuring 20 meters by 11 meters, with 18 wooden pillars supporting a flat roof. It was built of cut and dressed bricks and further decorated, internally and externally, with enameled tiles in floral and geometric designs.

Hazrat Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh (RA) commonly known by the title Shah Rukn-e-Alam ("Pillar of the World") (1251 - 1335 AD), was an eminent Sufi saint from Multan in modern-day Pakistan who belonged to Suhrawardiya Sufi order.

Hazrat Shah Rukne Alam (RA) was the son of Sadar-Al-Din Arif. He was born in Multan on Friday, the 9th of Ramadan-ul-Mubarak 649 Hijri (1251 AD). He was the grandson and successor of Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya. Shah Rukn-e-Alam died on Friday, the 7th of Jamadi-ul-Awwal 735 Hijri (1335 AD). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. Shah Rukn-e-Alam conferred his spiritual succession to Sheikh Hameed -ud-Din Al-Hakim (RA), buried at Mau Mubarak in Rahim Yar Khan, who was his Ataleeq-e-Awwal, Khalifa-e-Awwal and was married to his aunt, the daughter of Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya (AR).

The tomb is said to have built by Ghias-ud-Din Tughlaq during his governorship of Depalpur, between (1320 - 1324 AD) and was given by his son, Muhammad bin Tughluq to the descendants of Shah Rukn-e-Alam for the latter’s burial in 1330 AD. In the 1970s, the mausoleum was thoroughly repaired and renovated by the Auqaf Department. The entire glittering glazed interior is the result of new tiles and brickwork done by the Kashigars of Multan. The tomb is on the tentative list as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya (RA) also known as "Baha-ul-Haq" was a prominent Sufi saint. He was born around 1170 AD in Kot Kehror (now known as Karor Lal Esan), a town near Multan. His grandfather, Shah Kamal-ud-Din Ali Shah Qureshi (RA) arrived in Multan from Makkah. Bahauddin Zakariya descended from the lineage of Asad Ibn Hashim, and was hence a Hashmi.

The renowned Sufi saint Hazrat Shahab-ud-Din Abu Hafs Umar Suhrawardi (RA) of Baghdad awarded Hazrat Zakariya (RA) the spiritual title Caliph in Baghdad, and then assigned him back to the Multan region. For fifteen years, Hazrat Zakariya (RA) travelled to different cities in southern Punjab, where the order was able to attract large numbers of converts from Hinduism. He finally settled in Multan in 1222 (RA). Under his influence, Multan became known as "Baghdad of the East".

He became a vocal critic of Multan's ruler at the time, Nasir-ud-Din Qabacha, and sided with Iltutmish, the Mamluk Sultan of Delhi when he overthrew Qabacha in 1228 (RA). Zakariya's support was crucial for Iltutmish's victory and so he was awarded the title Shaikh-ul-Islam by Iltutmish to oversee the state's spiritual matters in gratitude for his support. He was also granted official state patronage by the Sultan.

During his lifetime, Zakariya befriended Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (RA), a widely revered Sufi saint from Sindh and founder of the Qalandariyya order. Hazrat Baha-ul-din Zakariya (RA), Shahbaz Qalandar(R.A), Baba Fariduddin Gunj Shakar (RA) and Syed Jalalauddin Bukhari (RA) became part of the legendary Haq Char Yaar, or "Four Friends" group, which is highly revered among South Asian Muslims. Zakariya's tariqat, or Sufi philosophical orientation, was to the renowned Sufi saint Hazrat Shahab-ud-Din Abu Hafs Umar Suhrawardi of Baghdad (RA).

Zakariya's teachings spread widely throughout southern Punjab and Sindh, and drew large numbers of converts from Hinduism. His successors continued to exert strong influences over southern Punjab for the next several centuries, while his order spread further east into regions of northern India, especially in Gujarat and Bengal.

Bahauddin Zakariya (RA) died in 1268 (AD) and his mausoleum (Darbar) is located in Multan. The mausoleum is a square of 51 ft. 9 inches (15.77 m), measured internally. Above this is an octagon, about half the height of the square, which is surmounted by a hemispherical dome.

Hazrat Syed Abul Hassab Musa Pak Shaheed (RA) was Sufi saint and his mausoleum is located at Multan, Punjab. He was son of Syed Hamid Bakhsh Gillani (RA). He was martyred in 1592 AD (1001 AH) during a civil war of Langah tribe, when he received a bullet in his chest by chance. Syed Musa Pak (RA) buried near Pak Gate inside the walled city of Multan. The Urs of Syed Musa Pak Shaheed (RA) takes place annually at his mausoleum. Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani is a descendent of Musa Pak Shaheed (RA).

Hazrat Shah Shams-ud-Din Sabzwari Multani (RA) (died 757 AH/1356 AD) was a Muslim Sufi missionary. He arrived in Multan in early 1200 AD in Pakistan and preached Islam to the local population. He is considered to be a saint due to his poetry and the local traditions.

He was born at "Sabzwar" in Iran where he spent his childhood and adolescence in pursuit of education. Probably, in his twenties he spent working under the tillage of his father, Pir Salahuddin, in Sabzwari and perhaps in his early thirties succeeded his father and was assigned the Da'wa of Badakshan and Northern India. Conducting his missionary work with great ardor and zeal, his activities ranged from Badakshan, through Kashmir, and from Punjab, Sindh to Gujrat with Multan as his headquarters. As he spent the better part of his later years at or around Multan, he was laid to rest there, hence he is also famous as Shams Sabzwari Multani.

His mausoleum is located in Multan, on the high bank of the old bed of the Ravi River near Aam-Khas Garden. His shrine was built by his grandson in 1330 AD. The tomb is square, 30 feet (9.1 m) in height surmounted by a hemispherical dome. It is decorated with ornamental glazed tiles.

Hazrat Mir Mohammad Qadri (1550 - 1635 AD), popularly known as "Mian Mir", was a famous Sufi Muslim saint who resided in Lahore, Punjab. He was a direct descendant of Second Caliph Hazrat Umar Ibn al-Khattab (RA). He belonged to the Qadri order of Sufism. He is famous for being a spiritual instructor of Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Hazrat Mian Mir was a friend of God-loving people and he would shun worldly, selfish men, greedy Emirs and ambitious Nawabs who ran after faqirs to get their blessings. To stop such people from coming to see him, Mian Mir posted his mureeds (disciples) at the gate of his house.

After having lived a long life of piety and virtuosity, Mian Mir died in 1635 AD (1045 AH). His funeral oration was read by Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, who was a highly devoted disciple of this great Sufi Saint. There is a hospital named after him in his hometown Lahore, called Mian Mir Hospital.

He was buried in Dharampura Lahore. Mian Mir's spiritual successor was Mullah Shah Badakhshi (RA). Mian Mir's mausoleum still attracts hundreds of devotees each day and he is revered by many Sikhs as well as Muslims. The tomb's architecture still remains quite intact to this day. His death anniversary (Urs) is observed there by his devotees every year.

Hazrat Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri (RA) popularly known as Bulleh Shah (RA) was a Mughal-era Punjabi Islamic philosopher and Sufi poet. His first spiritual teacher was Hazrat Shah Inayat Qadiri (RA), a famous Sufi murshad of Lahore.

Hazrat Bulleh Shah (RA) lived after the Pashto Sufi poet Rahman Baba (RA) (1632 - 1706 AD) and lived in the same period as Sindhi Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (RA) (1689 - 1752 AD). His lifespan also overlapped with the Punjabi poet Waris Shah (1722 - 1798 AD), of "Heer Ranjha" fame, and the Sindhi Sufi poet Abdul Wahab (RA) (1739 - 1829 AD), better known by his pen name Sachal Sarmast (RA).

Hazrat Bulleh Shah (RA) practiced the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like Hazrat Shah Hussain Qadri (RA) (1538 - 1599 AD), Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA) (1629 – 1691 AD), and Hazrat Shah Sharaf (RA) (1640 - 1724 AD).

The verse form Bulleh Shah primarily employed is the Kafi, popular in Punjabi and Sindhi poetry.

Many people have put his Kafis to music, from humble street-singers to renowned Sufi singers.

Hazrat Syeda Bibi Pak Daman (RA) is the mausoleum of Hazrat Ruqayyah bint Hazrat Ali (RA) located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Legend has it that it holds the graves of six ladies from Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad's (PBUH) household (Ahl-e-Bayt).

Syeda Ruqayyah bint Ali (RA) was the step-sister of Hazrat Abbas ibn Hazrat Ali (RA) and also the wife of Hazrat Muslim ibn Aqeel (RA) (emissary of third Shia Imam Hussain ibn Ali to Kufah). It is said that these ladies came here after the event of the battle of Karbala on the 10th day of the month of Muharram in 61 AH (680 AD). Bibi Pak Daman (RA), which means the "chaste lady", is the collective name of the six ladies believed to interred at this mausoleum, though it is also popularly used to refer to the personage of Hazrat Ruqayyah bint Ali (RA) alone. They were among the women who brought Islam to South Asia, preaching and engaging in missionary activity in the environs of Lahore.

Darbar of Hazrat Bibi Pak Daman (RA) is located between Garhi Shahu and Railway Station area in Lahore.

After the events at Karbala five Muslim women, led by Syeda Ruqayyah bint Ali (R.A), left Makkah to settle and proselytize in Lahore, as a result of which the Hindu community embraced Islam.

According to one school of thought among historians such as S.M. Latif, Molvi Noor Ahmad Chishti and Mufti Ghulam Sarwar, the daughters of Hazrat Ali (RA) were instructed by their father to go to Sind and Hind to preach the Islamic faith. It was prophesied that their mission would achieve success. The events of the massacre at Karbala caused many relatives of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) including Syeda Ruqayyah (RA) to migrate to Makran where she preached Islam for several years. The Hindu Raja of Jaisalmer felt threatened by her missionary work. Umayyad rulers were also displeased.

However, continued threats to Syeda Ruqayyah's life caused her to cross the Indus River to settle in Lahore. The local Hindu ruler there attempted to arrest her but failed because his son, the prince Bakrama Sahi, accepted Islam. This enabled Ruqayyah to continue her missionary activities in peace for some more time. Eventually, fearing disgrace at the hands of the Hindu Raja's army when they were again dispatched to arrest her and the other five ladies, she gathered her female kin and made a collective prayer for rescue. As a fulfillment of their wishes, the ground split and their camp went underground. A shawl remained to mark the spot of that event.

Seven ladies and four men are traceable from history, as it is found that she introduced herself stating that “I am widow of Martyr Muslim bin Aqeel, daughter of Hazrat Ali (RA) and sister of Commander-in-Chief Hazrat Abbas (RA) of Hazrat Imam Hussain's (R.A) Army and other five ladies were my sisters in law, whereas the sixth one was our maid “Halima”. She introduced further telling the names of men that they were our guards and belonged to our tribes namely; Abb-ul-Fatah, Abb-ul-Fazal, Abb-ul-Mukaram and Abdullah. Besides two names “Ruqayyah and Halima”.

The shrine is visited by both Shias and Sunnis. From 7 to 9 of Islamic month of Jumadi-us-Sani, three-days Urs of Bibi Pak Daman (RA) is celebrated.

Hazrat Abu-al Ḥasan Ali bin Usman Al-Hajveri (RA), known as "Data Gunj Bukhsh, was Gaznian (Afghanistan) mystic, theologian, and preacher who became famous for composing the Kashf-al-Maḥjub (Unveiling of the Hidden), a book on Sufism in Persian language. Hazrat Syed Ali Hajveri (RA) is believed to have contributed "significantly" to the spread of Islam in South Asia through his preaching, with historians describing him as "one of the most important figures to have spread Islam in the Indian subcontinent."

Hazrat Syed Ali Hajveri (RA) is venerated as the patron saint of Lahore, Pakistan. He is, moreover, one of the most widely venerated saints in the entire Indian subcontinent, and his shrine is in Lahore, popularly known as "Data Darbar", is one of the most frequented shrines in South Asia. At present, it is Pakistan's largest shrine in numbers of annual visitors and in the size of the shrine complex. It was nationalized in 1960, is managed today by the Department of Auqaf and Religious Affairs Punjab.

Hazrat Syed Ali Hajveri (RA) was born in Ghazni, in present-day Afghanistan. He is a direct descendant of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through his father who was a direct descendant of Imam Hasan ibn Ali (RA). His genealogical chain goes back eight generations to Hazrat Ali (RA). According to the autobiographical information recorded in his own Kashf-al-maḥjub, it is evident that Hazrat Ali Hajveri (RA) travelled widely through the Ghaznavid Empire and beyond, spending considerable time in Baghdad, Nishapur, and Damascus, where he met many of the pre-eminent Ṣufis of his time. In matters of jurisprudence, he received training in the Hanafi rite of orthodox Sunni law under various teachers. As for his Sufi training, he was linked through his teacher Hazrat Abu-al Fazal al-Khuttali (RA) to Hazrat Al-Husri (RA), Hazrat Abu Bakr Shibli (RA) (d.946 AD), and Hazrat Junayd Baghdadi (RA) (d.910 AD). Eventually, Hazrat Ali Hajveri (RA) settled in Lahore, where he died in 1072 AD/5465 AH with the reputation of a renowned preacher and teacher.  After his death, he was unanimously regarded as a great saint by popular acclaim.

The Badshahi Mosque is a Mughal era mosque in Lahore, capital of Punjab, Pakistan. Badshahi Mosque is located in historical setting. Its front side faces Lahore Fort and on the northern side is Minar-e Pakistan, on northeast corner is Samadhi Ranjit Sing, on suthern side is the Walled City of Lahore. The mosque is considered to be one of Lahore's most iconic landmarks.

The Badshahi Mosque was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1671 AD The construction of the mosque completed in two years until 1673 AD under the supervision of Muzaffer Hussain, also Known as "Fidai Khan Koka". The mosque is an important example of Mughal architecture, with an exterior that is decorated with red sandstone with marble inlay. It remains the largest and most recent of the grand imperial mosques of the Mughal-era, and is the second-largest mosque in Pakistan and is now one of the Pakistan's most iconic sights.

The entrance to the mosque lies on the western side of the rectangular Hazuri Bagh, and faces the famous Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is located on the eastern side of the Hazuri Bagh. The mosque is next to the Roshnai Gate, one of the original thirteen gates of Lahore which is to the southern side of the Hazuri Bagh.

The architectural composition is square based setting including central courtyard with water-pond, four octagonal minarets at four corners of square plot, a square entrance lobby accessed by 22 steps. There are three domes with marble cladding. The interior of prayer hall is ornamented with inlay marble, Stucco tracery, fresco painting etc.

During 1939-1960, a comprehensive restoration was taken up to revive the original shape of the mosque.

There is also a small gallery at upper floor of the main entrance which contains relics attributed to Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), Hazrat Ali (RA), Hazrat Fatima (RA), Imam Hassan (RA), Imam Hussain (RA) and Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani (RA).

Near the entrance of the mosque lies the Tomb of Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, a poet widely revered in Pakistan as the founder of the Pakistan Movement which led to the creation of Pakistan as a homeland for the Muslims of British India. Also located near the mosque's entrance is the tomb of Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, who is credited for playing a major role in preservation and restoration of the mosque.

Al-Sadiq Mosque is located in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. Its foundation stone was laid by Great Sufi of Chishtia order and the spiritual master of Nawab of Bahawalpur Hazrat Noor Muhammad Maharvi (RA). The renovation was done by the order of His Highness Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi in 1935 (AD) after returning from hajj. 50,000 to 60,000 people can pray in the mosque at a time.

The form of the mosque is inspired from the Badshahi Mosque Lahore but with chaste white marble cladding instead of red-sand stone. All the architectural details and decoration is carried out by following the ornamentation details of Badshashi Mosque.

Like Wazir Khan mosque, it is self-sustained mosque in context of its resources for maintenance. On ground floor level, number of shops were constructed which are rented out as local shops. The rent received is utilized for maintenance of the mosque.

The Sunehri Mosque is a late Mughal architecture-era mosque in the Walled City of Lahore, province of Punjab. It is located in the Kashmiri Bazaar of the Walled City of Lahore, next to Masjid Wazir Khan.

The Sunehri Mosque was built in 1753 AD when the Mughal empire was in decline. The architect of the mosque was Nawab Behkari Khan, Deputy Governor of Lahore during the reign of Muhammad Shah.

During Sikh rule, the function of the mosque was seized by Sikh rulers and converted into a gurdwara. It was restored in the late 1820 AD after Fakir Azizuddin persuaded Ranjit Singh to transfer ownership back to the Muslim community. The Muslim community was required to reduce the volume of the call to prayer, and forfeited rent from the leasing of shops.

The mosque was built on a plinth elevated 11 feet from the bazaars surface with shops occupying the ground floor beneath the mosque. The shops’ rents were used to pay for mosque's upkeep. The architectural style of the mosque reflects influences of Sikh architecture from nearby Amritsar. 

The staircase in front of the mosque has 16 steps, and opens up to a small irregular shape courtyard measuring 65 feet by 43 feet. An ablution tank is in the centre of this courtyard. The prayer chamber measures 40 feet long, and 16 feet wide. The mosque has a gateway, which measures 21.3 metres in length and a courtyard that measures 161.5 by 160.6 metres (530 ft. × 527 ft.). The marble domes cover prayer chambers. Four lofty minarets stand at the four corners of the mosque's prayer hall, each with an outer circumference of 20 metres (66 ft.), soaring up to 54 metres (177 ft.).

The Wazir Khan Mosque is 17th Century mosque located in the city of Lahore, province of Punjab. Construction of Wazir Khan Mosque began in 1634 AD, and was completed in 1641 AD during the reign of Shah Jahan. Wazir Khan Mosque is renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as Kashi-kari, as well as its interior surfaces that are almost entirely embellished with elaborate Mughal-era frescoes.

The mosque was commissioned by the chief physician to the Mughal Court, Ilam-ud-din Ansari, who was known as Wazir Khan. He later became the Subedar, or Viceroy of Punjab, and commissioned several monuments in Lahore. He commissioned the Wazir Khan mosque in 1634 AD in order to enclose the tomb of Miran Badshah, an esteemed Sufi saint whose tomb now lies in the courtyard of the mosque.

The mosque's interior was richly embellished with frescoes while the exterior of the mosque was lavishly decorated with intricate Persian-style Kashi-kari tile work. Wazir Khan's mosque superseded the older Maryam Zamani Mosque as the Lahore main mosque for congregations of Friday prayers. Wazir Khan's mosque was part of a larger complex that included a row of shops traditionally reserved for calligraphers and bookbinders, and the town square in front of the mosque's main entrance.

The mosque is built on an elevated plinth, with the main portal opening onto the Wazir Khan Chowk. Its outer perimeter measures 279 ft. (85 m) by 159 ft. (48 m), with the long axis parallel to the Shahi Guzargah. It was built with bricks laid in kankar lime.

The main prayer hall is richly embellished with Mughal frescoes. The mosque's prayer hall is approximately 130 ft. long and 42 ft. wide. It is divided into five sections aligned into a single long aisle running north to south. The central section of the prayer hall is topped by a 31 ft. tall dome with a diameter of 23 ft. resting upon four arches that form a square pavilion - a Persian architectural form known as a "Char Taq". The remaining compartments in the prayer hall are topped by a 21 ft. tall dome with a diameter of 19 ft. built in a style similar to that of the earlier Lodhi dynasty. The northern most and southern most compartments also contain small cells which house spiral staircases that lead to the rooftop. Walls of the prayer hall's interior are also decorated with calligraphy in both Arabic and Persian. Each wall is divided further, and contain unique mosaic designs.

The mosque is listed as the Protected Heritage Monuments of the Archaeology Department of Punjab. In 1993, the site was added to UNESCO's tentative list for world heritage site status.

Live View
Auqaf Department has initiated a new project involving the installation of cameras; giving a live view of the ‘Data Darbar.’ As, Data Darbar is considered to be a sacred place in Lahore, this new project in place, people can pay their respects from around the world, by simply accessing the live view. This modern leap will open a gateway to promoting a new digital culture.
Highlights

The Urs Ceremony of Hazrat Pir Makki (RA), Lahore will start on 26th September, 2023.

The Urs Ceremony of Hazrat Data Gunj Buksh (RA), Lahore will start on 5th September, 2023.

Anti Dengue Walk will be held on 15th June 2023 at 10:30 AM under the Chairmanship of Secretary / Chief Administrator at Aiwane-Auqaf, Lahore.