MINGORA: With its architectural grandeur and wood carving wonders, the 1,000-year-old mosque in Khwazakhela town is still intact and a busy spot for worship and social gatherings.

Known as Lwarrey Jumat, the mosque is located in the heart of Khwazakhela. According to the local residents, it was constructed by the army of Mahmood Ghaznavi in the eleventh century after they defeated the Hindu army.

Locals claim that the mosque is 1,000 years old. They love its antique structure and want to preserve it for their coming generations.

“When Muslims conquered the area after defeating Hindus, they constructed the mosque here. In 1917, my grandfather took the responsibility of the mosque and since then we are taking care of it,” Amirzeb Khan, a resident of Khwazakhela, told Dawn.

Locals claim Lwarrey Jumat was built by Mahmood Ghaznavi 1,000 years ago

Constructed with mud, stone and timber masonry method, the mosque has long history of mystery and war. The huge wooden pillars and beams used in the roof tell the story of early Swatis’ taste and love for art and architecture.

“The floral designs and motifs carved on the wooden beams and pillars are our traditional decoration. We use it in our houses as well. Many foreigners have offered us handsome amount for these wood carving but we have not given them as we want to preserve and maintain the architecture of the mosque,” said Mr Khan.

The pillars have nifty floral carvings of purely Swati style, intermingled with Persian, Greek and Buddhist designs. About the historical importance of the mosque, educated youth of the area take pride and say that they would never replace its structure with the modern one.

“There are several aspects of its history and architecture that we love it. The high standard and sophisticated floral carvings attest as to how much our ancestors love art and culture. The perfection in the carving proves that at that time when there were few tools the artisans were skilful,” said Islamuddin, a local university graduate in history.

There are two graves outside the mosque about which the locals believe that soldiers of the Muslim army are buried here. Some villagers also claim that during its expansion period, some hundred years ago, they found one of its wall completely constructed when they got up next morning.

“We have heard from our elders that when they collected stones, clay and other material to construct the eastern wall of the mosque, they found that the wall was erected in the morning. So they believed that it was constructed by jinn,” Shahid Aman, a local youth, told Dawn.

The architecture grandeur and the high class traditional wood carving of the early Swatis still attract art and architecture lover to visit the mosque.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2017