Badshahi Mosque
The majestic Badshahi Mosque in Lahore is one of the most stunningly beautiful sacred sites for Muslims. Built in 1673, this mosque was the world’s largest for over 300 years until the Faisal Mosque was completed in 1986. Its huge courtyard, which stretches over an area of 26,000 square meters, remains the biggest in the world, and can host up to 95,000 worshippers. The mosque’s external walls are clad with red sandstone panels, painstakingly sculptured with beautiful, lotiform motifs and embellished with marble inlays. As per tradition, the mosque has four minarets and three domes, the central one bigger than the other two. These are coated with white marble, which creates a striking contrast with the dominating red. Travelers welcomed into the mosque through a grand entrance gate will discover that inside the building isn’t any less breathtaking, with its cornucopia of arches, stucco tracery and frescoes which never fail to astonish.
