Location : Near Charminar, Hyderabad
Significance : Biggest Mosque In Andhra Pradesh
Construction Started By : Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah
Completed In : 1694, By Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
Just 100 yards South West of Charminar is the Mecca Masjid, the
largest mosque of South India.
The constructions of this mosque was started by Sultan Muhammad
Qutub Shah in 1617, the work continued during the reign of Abdullah
Qutub Shah and Abul Hassan Tana Shah and was completed in 1694 by
the Moghal Emperor Aurangzeb. The mosque is one of the largest in
the country and can accommodate ten thousand people at a time during
the prayer.
The hall is 67 metres long, 54 metres wide and 23 metres high. The
roof is supported by 15 arches, 5 on each of the three sides. The
colonnades and entrance arches are made of a single slab of granite.
It took about 8000 Masons and labourers and was completed in 77
years.
It is believed that when the foundation stone was being laid,
Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah invited all the devout religious elders
of the city. It was announced that the king wanted the foundation
stone to be laid by one who had never missed his prayers. None came
forward, therefore Sultan Muhammad himself laid the foundation for
he had never missed even his midnight prayer since the age of 12.
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