Name of Monument: Masjid Mahabat Khan
Location: Peshawar
Date of Construction:1660-1670
Material and Method of Construction and Finishes: Brick construction, Lime plaster, Fresco Paintings.
The Mahabat Khan mosque, the most important Mughal period mosque in Peshawar, is located inside the walled city of Peshawar in Andershehr Bazaar connecting Chowk Yadgar in the east and Asamai Gate in the west. It was built between 1660 AD and 1670 AD. The mosque has three gateways, the eastern gate lies in a lane that separates the mosque from the Sarai Mahabat Khan mosque while the southern gate connects the main bazaar. The prayer hall occupies the west side. The mosque has two tall minarets located on the two frontal corners of the prayer hall. The parapet wall rises from the outer edges, towards the center by a series of four small incremental height increases. There is a small minaret at the meeting point of two levels. In this way, there are six small decorative minarets on the façade of the prayer hall that flank the mosque’s 5 arched entryways. The three middle bays are surmounted with 3 fluted domes. The parapet is embellished with numerous merlons.
Five pishtaqs arched portals offer entry into the main prayer hall. The central multifoil arch is the tallest, which is typical of the Mughal style. The inner arches are framed. Above the arches, there are seven pseudo arches above the tip of each arch. The soffit is decorated with kalib kari. The central arch is flanked by two slightly shorter un-cusped arches that are designed in the Persian and Central Asian styles. These arches are flanked by slightly low pishtaqs decorated in a similar style. Archways into the mosque are also flanked by vegetal motifs along their upper curve are multi-colored. Both the interior and exterior feature panels embellished with fresco paintings having floral motifs and Quranic calligraphy. The interior of the prayer hall is eloquently painted with floral and geometric designs. The flowering plants and bouquets, a typical feature of Peshawar, are depicted in the interior and exterior. Its open courtyard has a centrally located ablution pool and a single row of rooms lining the exterior walls. The early twentieth century Jamia Masjid Chitral also has a similar flute dome inspired by Mahabat Khan mosque.
Naqoosh-e-Javidan 