Shah Jahan Mosque

The mosque was built between 1644 and 1647 on the order of Shah Jahan, given to Thatta in gratitude for the shelter the city had offered him, and it is unlike his marble buildings at Agra and Delhi: this is a brick mosque, and its glory is tilework. Blue, turquoise and white glazed tiles cover the walls, arches and the interiors of the domes in geometric and floral patterns drawn from Persian and Timurid models by way of Sindh's own tile tradition. There are ninety-three domes, more than any other mosque in the country, and no minarets at all. The domes were built to carry sound: a speaker at the mihrab can be heard across the prayer hall without amplification, an effect visitors are usually invited to test. The building has been restored repeatedly, with mixed results, and remains in use for prayer.

History

Shah Jahan ordered the mosque in gratitude for the hospitality he had received in Thatta when he sought refuge there from his father, Jahangir, and it may also have been meant to help the city recover from a storm in 1637 that nearly destroyed it. Persian inscriptions date it to 1644-1647, an eastern addition followed in 1659 under Aurangzeb, and the mihrab, at first wrongly aligned, was rebuilt a century later (Wikipedia, Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta).

The main sights

• Blue and turquoise tilework - glazed decoration across walls and dome interiors.
• The ninety-three domes - the roofscape and the patterned undersides.
• The acoustics - sound carrying from the mihrab across the hall.
• The courtyard - the arcaded enclosure at the centre.

When to go

November to February; Sindh summers are extreme. Avoid the five prayer times, and expect Fridays to be busy. Morning light through the arcades is the best for photographing the tiles.

Things to know

Restoration quality varies and some replacement tilework is visibly cruder than the original. Sections may be scaffolded. It is a working mosque: modest dress, heads covered for women, shoes off. Thatta town itself is congested and has few facilities for visitors.

Nearby

Makli necropolis is on the ridge above the town; Keenjhar Lake lies north.

Key facts