Abbasi Mosque
Mosque in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Abbasi Mosque, or Derawar Mosque, and locally known as Jamia Masjid‑e‑Abbasi, is a mosque located close to Derawar Fort in Yazman Tehsil, in the Cholistan Desert in Bahawalpur District, in the Punjab, province of Pakistan.[2] The mosque can accommodate 10,000 worshippers.[3]
| Abbasi Mosque | |
|---|---|
| |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Mosque |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Yazman Tehsil, Bahawalpur District, Punjab |
| Country | Pakistan |
 Interactive map of Abbasi Mosque | |
| Coordinates | 28°46′3″N 71°20′13″E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque architecture |
| Founder | Nawab Bahawal Khan |
| Completed | 1849 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 10,000 worshippers |
| Length | 39 m (128 ft) |
| Width | 4.9 m (16 ft) |
| Dome | Three |
| Minaret | Two |
| [1] | |
History
Abbasi Mosque was built by Nawab Bahawal Khan in 1849.[1] It was built like the Shah Jahani Masjid in Delhi, using the same construction materials.[4]
Architecture
Abbasi Mosque features a 4.9-metre-wide (16 ft), 39-metre-long (128 ft) prayer hall and is crowned by three bulbous marble domes that dominate the surrounding dunes.[3][4] Two octagonal minarets flank a tri‑arched façade carved in low‑relief Qurʼanic calligraphy, while marble jharoka balconies evoke a late‑Mughal aesthetic.[5]
Constructed entirely of polished marble, the building moderates desert heat and bathes its interior in diffused light that enters through pierced screens set high above the mihrab.[3][5] The paved courtyard and prayer hall together can accommodate about ten thousand worshippers, a capacity that once enabled the Bahawalpur nawabs to conduct state ceremonies beneath its domes.[3]
Historically, the main entrance housed servants' quarters and the lower portion comprised a hostel and a library.[4]
