Spanish Mosque

The Spanish Mosque (Urdu: مسجد اندلوسى‎), also known as Masjid Iqbal Ud Daula or Jam e Masjid Aiwan-E-Begumpet, is a mosque within the Paigah Palace, Begumpet, Hyderabad, India.[1]

This article is about a mosque in Secunderabad, India. For the mosque in Cordoba, Spain, see Cathedral–Mosque of Córdoba.

Spanish Mosque built in 1906 by Paigah Nawab.

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, as he 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 of Córdoba in Spain and Jama Masjid Gulbarga, Karnataka, India. It shows state-of-the-art interiors and architecture.[2][3]

It is also known as the Mosque of the Moors, due to its unique Hispanic (Moorish) style of architecture and is said to be one-of-its-kind in India. The stand-out feature is the spires instead of the usual minarets or domes; they give this mosque a church-like appearance. Right for the inception this mosque is maintained and managed by the heirs of Paigah Amir Sir Viqar-ul-Umra.[4]

History and features
Spanish Mosque photo from the early 1940s

Mr. Faiz Khan is the head of the community as well as treasurer of this historic mosque. Mr Faiz takes care of all the works of the mosque conducts regular meetings between community members and gives them orders.

The mosque is also known by the local Muslim community as Masjid Iqbal Ud-Daula, Masjid Aiwan-e-Begumpet. It can accommodate 3000 worshipers at once. The Spanish Mosque is very well known and is considered as a landmark mosque for the Secunderabad Muslim community.

Conservation

The Spanish Mosque is a declared heritage site by ASI and is under discussion for the consideration of UNESCO Asia Pacific Merit.[2][3][5]

See also

References
  1. Barooah, Jahnabi (23 July 2012). "Ramadan around the World in pictures". Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  2. "Masjid Iqbal-Ud-Daula - Begumpet, Hyderabad". Flickr - Photo Sharing!.
  3. "beautiful mosque in the heart of Begumpet". The Times Of India.
  4. http://www.tourisminap.com/hyderabad/sight_see.php
  5. "Mosque in Secunderabad". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. 11 February 2004.

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