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Mahabat Khan's Mosque Reviews

Ander Sher Bazaar, Peshawar, Pakistan

Featured Review : If you are going on the steps of the Mughal emperors, the 17th Century Mahabat Khan's mosque in Peshawar city is worth a visit. Even though it was not built for a Mughal emperor, it is still Mughal in its architecture. A...See Full Review

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  • Mahabat Khan's Mosque

  • 3 out of 5 stars
     baroudeur2004 from Liege
  • September 22, 2007
  • Best of IgoUgo
Quote: Mahabat Khan's mosque Photo - Mahabat Khan's Mosque, Peshawar, Pakistan If you are going on the steps of the Mughal emperors, the 17th Century Mahabat Khan's mosque in Peshawar city is worth a visit. Even though it was not built for a Mughal emperor, it is still Mughal in its architecture.

Another Mughal monument nearby is Bala Hisar fort, anterior to Mahabat Khan's mosque and both are worth a visit if you intend to visit Lahore, Delhi, and Agra afterwards. Entrance to Mahabat Khan's mosque is free between prayers (during prayer time, it is off limits to non-Muslims) but remove your shoes like in any mosque.

Mahabat Khan's mosque was named after Mughal governor Nawab Mohabbat Khan who was governor of Peshawar and served Shah Jahan (the one who ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India) and his son Aurangzeb.

Built around 1670 and found in Ander Sher Bazaar in the old city, this mosque will partly remind you of the mausoleums found in Agra with its white marble decoration. The religious Muslims of Peshawar attend this mosque and in a caravanserai nearby, there is a viewing point where you can have a full view of the courtyard (note the ablution pond in the middle of it), and during the prayers, you can take pictures of people praying without disturbing anyone. Some people will try to play guides with you. It is up to you if you want to listen to their comments or not.

If you go inside the mosque between prayers, you will be amazed by the floral and geometrical designs of the paintings. The entry is not easily found: it is merely a gate in the jewelry bazaar. Just get into Ander Sher Bazaar, a narrow street just off Chowk Yadgar (the easily recognizable ovale square with a dome-shaped monument) in Sadaar Bazaar, the entrance is through a small door on your right.

Mahabat Khan's mosque is not the most beautiful and impressive Mughal mosque you will ever see; it is in fact quite small compared to the other Mughal mosques you can see in Lahore, Delhi and Agra but worth a visit if you like Mughal architecture. You can then compare the evolution of Mughal architecture from Akbar to Aurangzeb.
From journals Peshawar and Beyond

  • Mahabat Khan's Mosque

  • 3 out of 5 stars
     fluppe from Roeselare
  • July 8, 2001
  • Best of IgoUgo
Quote: Mosque Photo - Mahabat Khan's Mosque, Peshawar, Pakistan In the middle of Ander Sher bazaar you see the entry of the Mahabat Khan's Mosque. In fact this entry is nothing more then a small gate in between the jewellery shops. Mahabat Khan, the governor of Peshawar, built it in 1630 during the reign of Moghal Shah Jahan. The open courtyard has a basin for ceremonial cleaning (in the middle). A guide told us that during the Sikh-period, the minarets were used a lot as gallows.

Open: every day from sunrise till sunset, during the Friday prayers around noon the mosque is closed for tourists.

Tourist trap If you walk from the Mosque towards Chowk Yadgar, on the left side there is an entrance to a Caravan Serai. Inside the caravanserai there is a stair, take the stair to the top floor, and you have a great view over the Mosque. Don't be afraid that you will miss this place because when you pass near the entrance gate, there will always be a guy who will show you the upper floor of the caravanserai with the great mosque view. Of course there is a little but, as a compensation you must visit his little souvenir shop which is locate on the ground floor of the Caravanserai. So be gentle and pay him with a visit, show some interest, anyway you are not obliged to buy something.


From journals Discovering Peshawar