History
History
Gifted by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and completed in 1986, Pakistan's national mosque breaks with fifteen centuries of tradition: no dome, no arch. Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, winner of an international competition, designed a gigantic eight-sided Bedouin tent of white concrete, guarded by four slender minarets nearly 80 metres tall.
Set against the Margalla hills, it was for a time the largest mosque in the world. Its prayer hall, lit by a golden spherical chandelier and Sadequain mosaics, can hold 10,000 worshippers, and its esplanades vast crowds.
Anecdotes & highlights
- Dalokay's design was chosen from among 43 proposals from 17 countries.
- Its tent shape pays tribute to the desert encampments of early Islam.
- General Zia ul-Haq's mausoleum lies within the esplanade enclosure.
