Faisal Mosque

The Faisal Mosque was designed by the Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, chosen in an international competition, and completed in 1986 with funding from Saudi Arabia; it takes its name from King Faisal. The design broke with tradition deliberately: instead of a dome, the prayer hall is a folded concrete structure shaped like a Bedouin tent, held between four slender minarets that are among the tallest in South Asia, and the whole thing sits on a raised platform at the foot of the Margalla Hills where the city ends and the forest begins. The main hall holds around ten thousand worshippers, with tens of thousands more on the courtyards and porticoes. The interior is austere: white marble, a Turkish chandelier, and mosaic and calligraphy by Pakistani artists. It has become the emblem of Islamabad and is on every visitor's route through the city.

History

The project began in 1966, when King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz supported the idea of a national mosque in Islamabad during a visit to Pakistan. In 1969 architects from 17 countries submitted 43 proposals to an international competition, won by the Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, and construction began in 1976 by National Construction Limited, funded by the government of Saudi Arabia at a cost of over 130 million Saudi riyals (Wikipedia, Faisal Mosque).

What's there

• The tent-shaped hall - the folded concrete prayer hall without a dome.
• The four minarets - slender towers framing the platform.
• The courtyards - vast marble terraces with views to the hills.
• The interior - white marble, mosaic and the Turkish chandelier.

When to go

October to April for comfortable weather; summer afternoons on the marble are punishing. Visit outside the five prayer times, and note that Friday midday is the busiest period of the week. Evening floodlighting makes for the best photographs.

Practical notes

It is a working mosque: modest dress is required, women must cover their heads, shoes come off at the platform edge, and non-Muslim visitors are welcome but should stay outside the prayer hall during prayers. The marble becomes painfully hot underfoot in summer. Bags may be searched at the entrance.

Nearby

Margalla Hills trails start above; Daman-e-Koh viewpoint is a short drive up.

Key facts