Sadequain Calligraphy

The Faisal Mosque in Islamabad is the largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the mosque in sixth place in the world.

Faisal Mosque is conceived as the National Mosque of Pakistan. It has a covered area of 5,000 m2 (54,000 sq. meters) and has a capacity to accommodate about 300,000 faithful (100,000 in its main prayer hall, courtyard and porticos and another 200,000 in its adjoining land)

The Faisal Mosque is named after the late King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, which supported and financed the project.

History

The impetus for the mosque began in 1966 when the late King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia has supported the initiative of the Pakistani government to build a national mosque in Islamabad during a visit to Pakistan. In 1969, an international competition was held in which architects from 17 countries submitted 43 proposals. After four days of deliberation, Turkish architect Vedat design Dalokay was chosen. Construction of the mosque began in 1976 with the construction of Pakistan, led by Azim Borujerdi, and was funded by the government of Saudi Arabia at a cost of over 130 million Saudi riyals (about 120 million today ' Today USD).

King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz was instrumental in financing, and both the mosque and the road leading to it was named in his honor after his assassination in 1975. The mosque was completed in 1986, and used to house the International Islamic University. Many conservative Muslims criticized the design at first for its unconventional design and the absence of the traditional dome, but virtually all criticism was eventually silenced by the scale of the mosque, the shape and set down below the Margalla Hills at the end.
Location

The mosque is located in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. It is located at the north end of Faisal Avenue, put it at the north end of town at the foot of the Margalla hills, the foothills of western Himalayas.

Design

The Faisal Mosque is the work of the famous Turkish architect, Vedat Dalokay who won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for this project. relatively unusual design of the mosque fuses contemporary lines with the more traditional aspects of Arab Bedouin tent, with its large triangular prayer hall and four minarets. However, unlike traditional masjid design, it lacks a dome.

The minarets borrow their design from Turkish tradition and are thin pencil like. The interior of this prayer hall holds a very large chandelier and its walls are decorated with mosaics and calligraphy by famous Pakistani artist Sadequain. The mosaic adorns the west wall, and the writtern kalimah Kufic early, repeated in the template image in a mirror.

The architecture of the mosque is a departure from the long history of Islamic architecture in South Asia. It is one of the most remarkable modern Islamic architecture in the world.