History tells us that wherever Muslims went in the world, one of the foremost things they did was to build a mosque. All over the world, Muslim preachers, conquerors and rulers have built magnificent mosques that not only reflect the typical style of Islamic architecture but also exemplify the aesthetic sense of the builders.

Talk about Mughal kings and you will find a number of mosques built during Mughal regime throughout the sub-continent. The city of Lahore is privileged to have one of the most glorious and largest mosques built by Mughals in the sub-continent. Badshahi Masjid or Imperial Mosque was built in 1674 under the patronage of Aurangzeb Alamgir, the sixth Mughal emperor. The mosque was built under the supervision of Fidai Khan Koka, the foster brother of Aurangzeb and therefore, his name is printed on a beautiful marble slab that is affixed at the main entrance of the mosque.

The history of Badshahi Mosque is also full of turmoil like many other buildings of Mughal regime. The Sikh and British rulers who ruled over the sub-continent after disintegrating the Mughal regime manifested their hatred towards the Muslim precursors by making attempts to destroy the beauty of their buildings. So like Shalimar Gardens, Badshahi Mosque too was converted into a stable for army horses. Sanctity of the mosque was trodden, Muslims weren`t allowed to enter the mosque and for a long period `Azaan` was not chanted inside the mosque. Muslims could only gather at a small place outside the mosque and say their prayers there. Marble, rubies and other precious stones were also stolen.

The British didn`t do any good to the mosque either. They used it as a practice camp for their military weapons, demolished one of its walls and badly damaged the interior of the mosque that consisted of beautifully engraved Quranic verses and fresco. However, after sensing Muslim`s hatred towards them, they handed over the mosque to the Muslims in 1852. After that repair work started at the mosque and it took many decades`, hard work and millions of rupees until the mosque regained its original beauty.

Badshahi Mosque has the capacity to accommodate over 55,000 worshippers and it closely resembles Jama Masjid built by Shah Jehan in Delhi. It is built with red brick and white marble. Its domes and four minarets at each corner of the mosque are visible from quite a distance from the mosque. Its central hall is very vast and spacious and therefore the biggest congregation of Eid prayers in Lahore is held in this very mosque.

Badshahi Mosque is a witness to Muslim unity as well. This is because during the second Islamic Summit hosted by Pakistan in 1974, 39 heads of different Islamic states offered their Friday prayers.

A few years back, a small Islamic museum was added to the mosque. The museum contains precious relics of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), his cousin and son-in-law Hazrat Ali (RA) and Prophet`s beloved daughter Hazrat Fatima Zahra (RA). It also contains some old hand-written copies of the Holy Quran. This all makes Badshahi Mosque a place worth worshipping and worth visiting as well.