Faisal Mosque
Introduction
Shah Faisal Masjid (شاه فيصل مسجد in Urdu) is one of the largest mosques in Asia. It is located in the city of Islamabad, capital of Pakistan. It is a well-known mosque in the Islamic world and is renowned for its immense size (said to be the largest mosque in the world)[1] and its architecture. Faisal Mosque is also the National Mosque of Pakistan.
History
The first push for the mosque began in 1966, when King Faisal bin Abdelaziz of Saudi Arabia suggested it during a visit to Islamabad, on the occasion of Pakistan's entry into the World Islamic Community. In 1969 there was an international competition where architects from 17 countries presented 43 proposals. After 4 days of deliberation, the design by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay was chosen. Construction began in 1976 by Azim Khan and was financed by the Saudi government, at a cost of more than 130 million Saudi riyals. King Faisal was instrumental in the financing, and both the mosque and the route leading to it were named after him after his assassination in 1975. The mosque was completed in 1986. The General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's mausoleum is adjacent to the mosque.
Location
It is located at the edge of Shaharah-e-Islamabad, which places it at the end of the city and in magnificent contrast to the Margalla Hills. It is the central point of Islamabad, and the most famous and recognized icon of the city.
• - Portal:Islam. Content related to Islam.
• - Badshahi Masjid.
• - Islamic architecture.
• - Islamic art.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Faisal Mosque.
• - Shah Faisal Mosque – Architectural review.
References
- [1] ↑ «Press Release: First in Pakistan». Embajada de Pakistán, Washington, D.C. Archivado desde el original el 27 de abril de 2006. Consultado el 10 de abril de 2006.: https://web.archive.org/web/20060427051114/http://www.embassyofpakistan.org/gov2.php