4/5 Rana Muhammad A. 3 years ago on Google • 73 reviews
The
Shahi
Eid
Gah
Mosque
is
a
late-Mughal
era
mosque
built
on
the
northern
outskirts
of
Multan
during
the
reign
of
Emperor
Muhammad
Shah
(r.
1719-48).
It
was
funded
by
Nawab
Abdul
Samad
Khan,
the
Mughal
governor
of
Multan,
who
was
renowned
for
both
his
piety
and
the
efficiency
of
his
administration.
The
mosque
is
oriented
north-south
with
a
slight
cant
to
the
southwest,
allowing
its
qibla
wall
to
face
perpendicular
to
Mecca.
It
comprises
seven
domed
chambers
symmetrically
arranged
in
a
long
row,
measuring
76
x
16
meters.
An
enormous
courtyard
faces
the
mosque
to
the
east
with
entrances
on
the
north,
east,
and
south.
Then
as
now,
the
mosque
functioned
as
an
eidgah,
a
special
mosque
used
for
Eid
prayers
(e.g.,
the
morning
of
Eid
al-Fitr
and
Eid
al-Adha)
which
was
usually
located
in
an
open
area
outside
major
cities
to
allow
the
city's
entire
population
to
gather
for
the
major
holidays.
Eidgah
mosques
are
common
in
South
Asia
though
they
are
commonly
found
throughout
the
Muslim
world,
going
by
different
names.
For
instance,
the
12th
century
Namazgah
Mosque
in
Bukhara,
Uzbekistan,
was
used
for
the
same
purpose.
The
design
of
the
mosque
is
fairly
restrained,
possibly
owing
to
the
declining
financial
situation
of
the
Mughal
empire
in
the
early
18th
century,
as
well
as
its
sponsorship
by
the
local
governor
rather
than
the
Emperor
himself.
In
form,
it
is
reminiscent
of
typical
Mughal-era
mosques
which
featured
symmetrical
facades
with
an
odd
number
of
bays
(usually
3,
5,
or
7),
corner
minarets,
a
gateway-like
opening
on
the
central
bay,
one
or
more
domes,
and
copious
fresco
decoration.
The
design
of
the
Shahi
Eid
Gah
clearly
inspired
later
examples
such
as
the
Abbasi
Mosque
of
Bahawalpur,
built
in
1849
of
more
refined
materials
such
as
marble
which
were
unavailable
(or
too
expensive)
for
Abdul
Samad
Khan's
administration.
Instead,
Abdul
Samad
Khan
made
liberal
use
of
the
Multani
tradition
of
blue-and-white
glazed
tiles
which
prominently
cover
large
areas
of
the
facade,
particularly
the
central
bay.
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