Wazir Khan Mosque Multan

The Wazir Khan Mosque is a Muhalla (neighborhood) masjid located about one km north-northwest of the old city center, about fifty m north of Katchehry Road in Kotla Tollay Khan. According to the now-defunct website `Survey & Studies for Conservation of Historical Monuments in Multan`, the mosque is traditionally believed to have been built around 1650, though its broad arches and heavy structure suggest a somewhat earlier date. The mosque should not be confused with the much larger and historically significant Wazir Khan Mosque of Lahore, built in 1634. `Wazir` is simply a title meaning `Minister` in Urdu, and Khan is a common surname; thus, the similarity in names may be coincidental. The mosque is structurally sound though all traces of its original decorative treatment have been erased through repainting and superficial maintenance. The present courtyard is quite small and is likely a fraction of its original size given the dense conditions of the surrounding neighborhood where space is at a premium. What little space remains has been subdivided in a makeshift manner by a brick wall capped with steel beams, a framework which may be covered by a temporary roof to add additional outdoor shaded space. The mosque`s surviving decorative elements are limited to the merlons surmounting the main entrance, the two minaret-like corner kiosks, and possibly, the design of the squinches and pendentives beneath the dome. All other elements, including the three east-facing entrances and the form of the arched openings, are recent interventions. It is laid out as a three-by-one bay rectangle, facing east, capped by three domes, with the central dome projecting higher than the side domes to indicate its prominence as the room containing the mihrab, facing toward Mecca. The front facade of the central bay also projects slightly outward for the same reason. Many other masjids in Multan are built along the same basic lines which have remained popular for hundreds of years. For instance, the mosques of Khawaja Awais khagga, Hafiz Jamal Multani, or the Wali Muhammad are all similar in form, though their specific proportions and decorative treatments vary considerably.