The Shah Jehan Mosque was built in the 17th century (1647 to be precise) on the orders of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan. It is said that the city of Thatta welcomed Shah Jehan with open arms after he was exiled from Delhi by his father Emperor Jahangir.
To express his gratitude, Shah Jehan ordered a mosque to be built in this city. In the province of Sindh, for the city of Thatta, Shah Jehan Mosque is the central mosque of the city.
The mosque is said to have the most elaborate tile in all of the South Asia. It is also unique because of its geometric brick work, which is not usually a part of Mughal-period architecture.
Shah Jehan Mosque is beautiful, unique and quite unlike other Moghul mosques. First of all marble; the favorite building material of the Moghuls has not been used in the construction, secondly there are no minarets in the mosque and thirdly instead of the typical three dome structure, the Shah Jehan Mosque features a single dome.
Other Moghul mosques usually have an ablution tank right in the centre of a large courtyard but in case of the Shah Jehan Mosque, the tank lies in the eastern side.
The Shah Jehan Mosque is a prime example of clever engineering. It has 93 domes and 33 arches and together they constitute the amazing acoustics; anything uttered in one end of this large mosque is echoed on the other side.
The building is made of Redstone and the domes and arches are decorated with blue tiles. Different shapes and sizes of tiles are joined together to form decorative panels. Blue color is extensively used along with yellow, white and purple. The Shah Jehan Mosque is known for its unique architecture and beautiful tile work.
