Mahabat Khan Mosque 3.9

The Mahabat Khan Mosque, sometimes spelt Mohabbat Khan Mosque, is a 17th-century Mughal-era mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. The mosque is named after the Mughal governor of Peshawar, Nawab Mahabat Khan bin Ali Mardan Khan, known alternatively as Mahabat Khan and Ali Mardan Khan, who served under Emperors Shah Jehan and Aurangzeb.HistoryThe Mosque was built between 1660 and 1670, on what was the highest point in the old city.The minarets of the Mohabbat Khan Mosque were frequently used in Sikh times for hanging prisoners, `as a substitute for the gallows’. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, refugee tribal elders would congregate in the mosque in order to forge unity amongst Afghans against the Soviets.LayoutThe mosque is 30,155 square feet in size. Its open courtyard has a centrally-located ablution pool and a single row of rooms lining the exterior walls.ArchitectureThe prayer hall occupies the west side. The hall is flanked by two tall minarets, which are divided into three sections. The façade of the prayer hall is also capped by 6 smaller decorative minarets that flank the mosque's 5 arched entryways, with an additional 2 minarets flanking the set of 6. The prayer hall is capped by 3 fluted domes. The roofline rises from the outer edges, towards the centre by a series of four small incremental height increases. The roofline is embellished with numerous merlons. The top of the mosque's white marble façade is capped by cavettos, or concave moulding.