Mosque of Muhabat Khan
The only Mughal Mosque in Andar Shehr in
Peshawar to survive the depredation of the sikhs, its entrance a narrow gateway
between jewellery shops.
Built in the 1670s, this
beatifully proportioned Mughal structure, named after a regional governor
who served under both Shah jahan and Aurangzeb, is orthodox in design. Its open
courtyard has an ablution pond in the middle and a single row of rooms around
the sides. The prayer hall occupies the west side, flanked by two tall minarets.
According to the turn-of-the-century Gazetteer for N.W.F.P, the minarets
were frequently used in Sikh times "as a substitute for the gallows"
by General Avitabile, an Italian military advisor to Ranjit Singh.. A fire that
raged through the Andarshar Bazaar in 1895 (the Gazetteer continues) failed to
destroy the mosque thanks only to the "unremitting efforts of the
faithful". The interior of the prayer hall is sheltered beneath three low
fluted domes and is lavishly and colourfully painted with floral and geometric
designs.
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