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At the foothills of the Margalla Hills in Pakistan's capital
of Islamabad, the Shah Faisal Mosque is one of the
core places of Muslim worship in Southern Asia. It was erected
from foundations to prayer in just 5 years in 1976. A dominant
and empowering Mosque was fast becoming a necessity to establish
the new state of Pakistan after the Partition from India in
1948, and the massive $50 million cost of the grand mosque
was generously donanted by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, after
whom the mosque is named as well as the Faisal Avenue
highway leading to it.
Architectural feats
The massive contructions represents an 8 faced desert 'tent'
surrounded by 4 huge towering minarets. It is thought to be
the largest mosque in the world, able to house 100,000 praying
muslim at the same time, although not all in the same venue!
10,000 fit in the main hall, 24,000 in the verandahs and 40,000
in the main court yard with another 30,000 in outbuildings.
Designed by Turkish architect Vadat Dolokay, it was the result
of an architecture competition. The Mosque has much in common
with the designs of major sites of worship in Istanbul.
The mosque is like a whole mini-village with its own library,
museum, lecture hall, café, and University of 700 students.
However, it is not only the impressive size and exterior for
which the mosque is famed - it also supports as an equally
elegantly designed interior. The Qibla Wall inside
the Main Prayer Hall has many decorated glazed tiles from
Turkey and a giant golden crescent in the roof. Underneath
the wall are reflection pools which allows for air conditioning
by adjusting the water level of the pool. There is a giant
chadelier in the main prayer hall which weighs some 7.5 tons
and uses 1000 electric bulbs.
There is a Women's gallery which is rare for a mosque; women
in Pakistan rarely enter mosques but instead pray at home.
Zebra marble and white marble from Greece are used here. The
courtyard is paved in Italian granite making it quite an international
affair.
Visiting Faisal Mosque
When visiting a mosque, you must leave your shoes at the
door. Dress decoriously covering everything except hands and
head, but women should wear a head scarf. It is possible to
take an elevator or staircase up each of the four 280ft towering
minarets to the visitor's gallery 190ft above the ground,
offering fantastic views of urban Islamabad.
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