Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore

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 Wazir Khan's mosque superseded the older Maryam Zamani Mosque as the Lahore main mosque for congregations of Friday prayers.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.