Description

Mahabat Khan Mosque is a very well known mosque in Peshawar, its entrance is a narrow gateway between jewelry shops. Built in the 1670s, this beautifully proportioned Mughal mosque, named after a regional governor who served under both emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, is orthodox in design. Its open courtyard has an ablution pond in the middle and a single row of rooms around the sides. The prayer hall on the west is flanked by two tall minarets. According to the late 19th-century Gazetteer, the minarets were frequently used in Sikh times as a substitute for the gallows. A fire that raged through the Andershehr Bazaar in 1895, failed to destroy the mosque thanks only to the unremitting efforts of the faithful. The interior of the prayer hall is sheltered beneath three low fluted domes and is lavishly and colorfully painted with floral and geometric designs. From Andershehr Bazaar, a street leads into Dhaki Munawar Shah where the famous Bollywood actor Raj Kapoors ancestral house is located. Dilip Kumars house is nearby too.