The Spanish Mosque, also known as the ''Masjid Iqbal Ud Daula'' and the ''Jam e Masjid "Aiwan-E-Begumpet"'', is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

within Paigah Palace, in the

Begumpet Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is an upscale locality of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam (Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...

neighbourhood of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, in the Hyderabad district of the state of

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

, India. It is also known as the Mosque of the Moors, due to its unique

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

architectural style and is said to be one-of-its-kind in India.

Architecture

The construction of the mosque was started by the fifth Paigah Amir, H.E. Nawab Mohammed Fazaluddin Khan, Iqbal Ud Daula, Sir Viqar-ul-Umra in 1900 (due to his sudden demise in 1902) and completed by his heir and elder son H.E Nawab Sultan Ul Mulk Bahadur, VI Amir of Paigah through Princess Jahandarunissa Begum, Lady Vicar Ul Umra. After his return from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, Viqar-ul-Umra was very much inspired by the Cathedral–Mosque of Córdoba. The exterior and interior of the Spanish Mosque are mostly similar to the Cathedral–Mosque and Jama Masjid Gulbarga, in

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, India. The mosque shows state-of-the-art interiors and architecture. The stand-out feature is the spires instead of the usual minarets or domes; they give this mosque a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

-like appearance. The mosque is maintained and managed by the heirs of Paigah Amir Sir Viqar-ul-Umra. The mosque can accommodate 3,000 worshipers at once. The Spanish Mosque is very well known and is considered as a landmark mosque for the

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

community. The Spanish Mosque is a declared heritage site by ASI and is under discussion for the consideration of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Asia Pacific Merit.

References

External links

The Wondrous Spanish Mosque of Hyderabad
* * * {{Mosques in India 1906 establishments in India 20th-century mosques in India Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India Moorish Revival architecture Mosque buildings with spires Mosques completed in 1906 Mosques in Hyderabad, India

Architecture

See also

References

External links