Chaqchan Mosque
The Chaqchan Mosque (Urdu: مسجد چقچن; meaning “The Miraculous Mosque”) is a mosque in the city of Khaplu, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. Dating from 1370, the mosque is one of the oldest in the region, and dates from the time when the area's populace converted en masse from Buddhism to Islam. The mosque shares similar architecture as those built in the Kashmir Valley. It is a perfect blend of Tibetan, Mughal and Persian style of architecture.
According to some sources the mosque was built by Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani[1] while other say on arrival of Sufi saint Syed Nurbakhsh from Kashmir to Baltistan, the local ruling Raja accepted Islam and commissioned the building of the mosque[2] in 1370 CE. However, the dating of the latter theory contradicts historical source which suggests that the mosque was actually constructed more than two decade before the birth of Syed Nurbakhsh.
Add new comment