Wazir Khans Mosque, Lahore

Masjid Wazir Khan is the 2nd Lahori Mosque on Pakistan’s T List. It was constructed in the 1630s during the reign of Shah Jahan around 40 years before the Badshahi. Thus both are examples of “Mughal” architecture - but in almost every other aspect they are significantly different.

Whilst the vast Badshahi sits in isolated splendour opposite the Fort, exuding calmness with its subdued pastel colours, the Wazir Khan mosque is crowded inside the old city and reached from the Delhi Gate through a series of narrow hawker-filled streets. And when you get there it presents a riot of brightly coloured glazed tiles/frescos inside and out. The courtyard is reached via an arcade of shops built into the structure and inside is a space cluttered with tombs and bathing areas – so different from the giant empty space which greets one on entering the Badshahi.

Its justification as a WHS could also be rather different. The Badshahi has only to push against an open door if it wished to go for inscription – UNESCO has made it very clear that they accept its OUV and see it as an essential part of the already inscribed Fort complex if only Pakistan would put together a reasonable case and management plan! However, it is difficult to see Wazir Khan’s mosque gaining inscription either on its own or as an extension to the Fort from which it is separated by a kilometer. It is an essential part of the “Old City” …