Mecca Masjid - Hyderabad
Mecca Masjid / Makkah Masjid is one of the oldest mosques in Hyderabad, India. It is one of the largest mosques in India. Makkah Masjid is a listed heritage building located in the old city of Hyderabad close to the historic landmarks of Chowmahalla Palace and Laad Bazaar. Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, commissioned bricks to be made from the soil brought from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, and used them in the construction of the central arch of the mosque, thus giving the mosque its name. It formed the centerpiece around which the city was planned by Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah. Makkah Masjid was built during the reign of Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah, the 6th Qutb Shahi Sultan of Golconda (now Hyderabad). The three arched facades have been carved from a single piece of granite, which took five years to quarry. More than 8,000 workers were employed to build the mosque. Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah personally laid the foundation stone of the mosque. The construction was later completed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb after conquring Hyderabad. The mosque took 77 years to be completed.
Mecca Masjid is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad and lies 100 yards south-west of Charminar. The name is derived from the Grand Mosque at Mecca on which it is patterned. The hall is 67 metres by 54 metres and 23 metres high. The roof is supported by 15 arches, five on each of the three sides. The western side is blocked by a high hall to provide the Mehrab. At each end are two huge octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite each and topped by an arched gallery that is crowned by a dome. This mosque is one of the largest in India and can accommodate ten thousand people at a time.
Read MoreMecca Masjid is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad and lies 100 yards south-west of Charminar. The name is derived from the Grand Mosque at Mecca on which it is patterned. The hall is 67 metres by 54 metres and 23 metres high. The roof is supported by 15 arches, five on each of the three sides. The western side is blocked by a high hall to provide the Mehrab. At each end are two huge octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite each and topped by an arched gallery that is crowned by a dome. This mosque is one of the largest in India and can accommodate ten thousand people at a time.