CHAQCHAN MOSQUE
The Chaqchan Mosque (Urdu: مسجد چقچن; meaning “The Miraculous Mosque”) is a mosque located 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.  |
| Chaqchan Mosque front look , / Photo by Khaqan Ibrahim |
The mosque’s design is heavily influenced by architecture from the Kashmir Valley,and was likely also built by Kashmiri craftsmen.
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| File photo |
HISTORY OF CHAQCHAN MOSQUE
According to some sources the mosque was built by Mir Sayed Ali Hamadani 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 in 1370 CE
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CONSERVATION
The Government of Pakistan has listed the Chaqchan Mosque as a Pakistan Heritage Site. The mosque is now currently in use after extensive conservation works.
The mosque’s construction style is similar to the Roman opus craticum, in which masonry walls that are suitable for the region’s harsh winter season are built.
GALLERY
