The Faisal Masjid is the largest Masjid
in Pakistan, situated in the national capital city of Islamabad. Faisal Mosque
was completed in 1986 and this master piece was designed by Turkish architect
Vedat Dalokay to be designed like a desert Bedouin's tent. It is located at the
north end of Faisal Avenue, putting it at the northernmost end of the city and
at the foot of Margalla Hills, the westernmost foothills of the Himalayas. The
Faisal Mosque is named after the late King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi
Arabia, who actually supported and financed this project. Faisal Mosque is a
popular Masjid in the Islamic world, and is famous for both its immense size
and its architecture.
It is located on an elevated area
of land against a picturesque backdrop of the Margalla Hills. This enviable
location represents the Masjid's great importance and allows it to be seen from
miles around day and night. It has a covered area of 54,000 sq ft and has a
capacity to accommodate almost 300,000 worshippers about 100,000 in its main
prayer hall, courtyard and porticoes and another 200,000 in its adjoining
grounds. Each of the Mosque's four minarets are 260 ft high the tallest
minarets in South Asia and measure 10 x 10 m in circumference.
The minarets borrow their design
from Turkish tradition and are thin and pencil like. The interior of Faisal
Masjid prayer hall holds a very large chandelier and its walls are beautifully decorated
with mosaics and calligraphy by the famous Pakistani artist Sadequain.
Moreover; the mosaic pattern decorates the west wall, and has the Kalmah written
in early Kufic script, repeated in mirror image pattern.