Faisal Mosque is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in Islamabad. Construction began in 1976 and was funded by Saudi Arabia, taking 10 years to complete. The unconventional design by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay resembles an Arab Bedouin tent. It can accommodate over 10,000 worshippers in the main prayer hall and over 200,000 in the surrounding grounds, making it one of the largest mosques in capacity. While initially criticized for its nontraditional design lacking a dome, it is now a major tourist attraction and influential example of modern Islamic architecture.
2. Location
Faisal Mosque is the national mosque of Pakistan.
Located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Islamabad,
the mosque features a contemporary design consisting
of eight sides of concrete shell and is inspired by
a bedouin tent. The mosque is a major tourist attraction,
and is referred as a contemporary and influential feature
of islamic archicture
4. History
The impetus for the mosque
began in 1966 when King Faisal
bin Abdul Aziz supported the
initiative of the Pakistani
Government to build a national
mosque in Islamabad during an
official visit to Pakistan.
5. History
In 1969, an international competition
was held in which architects from 17
countries submitted 43 proposals. The
winning design was that of Turkish
architect Vedat Dalokay. Construction
of the mosque began in 1976 by
National Construction of Pakistan, led
by Azim Khan and was funded by the
government of Saudi Arabia, at a cost
of over 130 million Saudi
riyals(approximately 120
million USD today).
6. History
King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz was
instrumental in the funding, and both the
mosque and the road leading to it were
named after him after his assassination in
1975.
The Mosque was completed in 1986.
. Many conservative Muslims criticised the
design at first for its unconventional
design and lack of a traditional Dome
structure.
9. Design
The Faisal Mosque is the work of Turkish
architect Vedat Dalokay, who won the Aga
Khan Award for Architecture for the
project. The mosque's architecture is
modern and unique, lacking both the
traditional domes and arches of most
other mosques around the world
10. Design
The mosque's unusual design is a departure from the
long history of South Asian Islamic architecture, fusing
contemporary lines with the more traditional look of
an Arab Bedouin's 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 and
pencil like.
12. Entrance to mosque
Entrance is from the east, where the
prayer hall is fronted by a courtyard
with porticoes. The International
Islamic University was housed under
the main courtyard, but recently
relocated to a new campus.
The Mosque has also a library
,lecture hall ,cafe , and Museum as
well.
14. Interior
The interior of the main tent-shaped hall is covered in
white marble and decorated
with mosaics and calligraphy by the famous Pakistani
artist Sadequain, and a spectacular Turkish-style
chandelier
There is also chandelier at shah faisal.
16. Capacity
The Faisal Mosque has covered area of
5,000 m2 (54,000 sq ft). It can accommodate 10,000
worshipers in its main prayer hall.
24,000 in its porticoes, 40,000 in its courtyard, and
another 200,000 in its adjoining grounds. Although its
covered main prayer hall is smaller than that of
the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca (the world's third
largest mosque),
17. Capacity
Faisal Mosque has the third largest capacity of
accommodating worshipers in its adjoining grounds after
the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-
Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina. Each of
the Mosque's four minarets are 80 m (260 ft) high (the
tallest minarets in South Asia) and measure 10 x 10 m
in circumference.