The landscape of Potohar is dotted with a large number of historic monuments mainly belonging to the Buddhists, Mughals, Gakhars, Sikhs and Hindus. Mughal period monuments (1526-1857) are located in almost every important town. Among the numerous buildings of the Mughal era, the Jamia mosque at Wah is most prominent. It lies very close to the Wah gardens - also of the Mughal period.
A majority of Mughal period mosques have lost their original glory due to frequent renovations. The Akbari mosque, which is believed to have been erected by a Mughal noble during the reign of Emperor Akbar (1556 – 1605) in Kuri town, was once decorated with paintings. Due to frequent repairs by the local people, it has lost its original beauty. Likewise, several other mosques built in the pre-Mughal period in Potohar have not retained their original work. Likewise another mosque of the Mughal period at Sari Kharbuza in Islamabad has also lost its past glory. During the frequent repairs by locals, some extensions were also made to the original three-arched entrances of the mosque. It is a three-domed structure with squat domes and four corner kiosks which lend beauty to the structure. The mosque is similar in terms of architecture to the one located in Kuri town. It has also similar squat domes and corner kiosks as seen on Sarai Kharbuza mosque. Despite the frequent renovations, the Sarai Kharbuza mosque still retains some frescoes on the domed ceiling and mihrab.
Jamia Mosque Wah
The most splendid mosque of the pre-Mughal period in Potohar is located west of Bagh Joghian village in Islamabad. The mosque lies very close to the Soan river bank. It is located on the right bank of the Soan river while on the left bank is located a formidable fort at Pharwala. From the mosque on can have a spectacular view of the Pharwala fort. The mosque is believed to have been built by Mai Qamro, who was wife of Hathi Khan Gakhar, a great scion of the Gakhar dynasty. The Gakhar women of the royal family occupied a prestigious and influential position in the Gakhar dynasty and commissioned many mosques, tombs and wells.
The Mai Qamro mosque is a great specimen of Gakhar architecture which appears to have been built in the first quarter of the 16th century. The mosque is built in rectangular plan and crowned with three squat domes. The southern dome of the mosque has caved in, while two others are in a fairly good condition. The structyre is noted for three arched entrances. The central entrance is flanked by two recessed arches - which lends beauty to the facade of the structure. Above the arched entrance, one finds a beautiful cut-brick ornamentation. Such embellishments cannot be found in whole of the Potohar region in Punjab. Dressed stone has been used to construct the mosque. Formerly it was plastered, traces of which are still visible on the facade of the mosque. This is perhaps the earliest mosque of what is today Islamabad.
Painting on the domed ceiling of the Jamia mosque
The domed ceiling of the mosque bears distinctive haft rang (seven colours) patterns
Apart from the mosques at Sarai Kharbuza, Kuri and Bagh Joghian near Pharwala, the most notable and magnificent mosque of from the reign of Emperor Akbar is the Jamia mosque of Wah. It is believed to have been built by Akbar (1556-1605) and later renovated by Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627).
The mosque is a three-domed structure, flanked by four minarets which appear to have been added much later. The mosque is famous for being decorated with stucco, murals and calligraphy. Such decoration cannot be seen in the any other mosque elsewhere in Potohar. There are, of course, domed mosques in Potohar which are noted for beautiful murals and stucco decoration - but they were all built during the Sikh and British periods. The Mai Qamro mosque built during the pre-Mughal period was also adorned with paintings - which have not survived today.
The Jamia mosque of Wah is built on a podium. Three arched entrances lead to the main prayer hall. The arch entrances are decorated with Quranic verses. Such refined workmanship is not seen elsewhere in the region.
Unlike some other historical mosques, this one is not abandoned. Local people still offer their prayers in the mosque. Some years ago, these local people repaired the mosque and made some modifications. They replaced the original wall by building a new wall around the mosque and the previously existing tile floor. They also restored the beautiful decoration inside the mosque and old patterns were filled with fresh colours. Masons were brought from Chakwal and Multan, who repaired the mosque and repainted the same designs by reproducing the old patterns on tracing papers.
Floral design in the Jamia mosque
The domed ceiling of the mosque bears the haft rang (seven colours) patterns which were a peculiar style of the Mughal painters. This style was introduced by Persian artists. Later on it was also used in tile mosaic. The interior wall also depicts floral and geometric designs. On some patterns, glass pieces were added to make the design more perceptible.
There is stucco decoration on the spandrels of the arches. Normally, one finds tile decoration or painting on the spandrels. However, this stucco work is a distinctive feature of this mosque. The soffits (inner spaces of the arches) are also treated in a similar fashion. However, one finds fruit dishes and flowers in blossom and eight-armed star designs on the pendentives (the spaces where two walls combine together).
This mosque is not under the administration of the Auqaf. The concerned authorities should enlist it as historical monument and should declare it an important tourist destination. Those intending to visit the Wah Gardens should be encouraged to have a look at this Mughal period mosque – not least because it is at a convenient walking distance from the garden. At the moment, unfortunately, tourists who visit the Wah gardens are often not aware of this historical mosque. And any visitors who do manage to find their way to the charming mosque are left with little information or guidance.
The author is an anthropologist and has authored four books: ‘Symbols in Stone: The Rock Art of Sindh’, ‘Perspectives on the art and architecture of Sindh’, ‘Memorial Stones: Tharparkar’ and ‘Archaeology, Religion and Art in Sindh’. He may be contacted at: zulfi04@hotmail.com
