Mecca Masjid
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Apart from Jama Masjid, the oldest and biggest mosque in India is Mecca Masjid and is 100 yards away from the famous Charminar of Hyderabad city. Mecca Masjid is known for its capacity and can accommodate 10,000 worshippers in the mosque at a time. The interesting fact behind its name is that the bricks were brought from Mecca by Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah and inducted them into the construction of the central arch of the masjid and hence got its name as Mecca Masjid. | ||
It was in the year 1617, during the regin of Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah, the construction of the majestic Mecca Masjid began and followed by the reign of Abdullah Qutub Shah and Abul Hassan Tana Shah, the construction of the mosque continued and finally 77 years after it was began, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb successfully completed the construction of world famous Mecca Masjid in the year 1694. It is believed that around 8000 mason were used for construction of the huge structure of this Masjid. Mecca Masjid is one among the ancient buildings of India which is a massive structure made of granite. The mosque has a huge main hall which is 75 feet high, 220 feet wide and 180 feet long, it has the capacity to accommodate ten thousand worshippers at a time. The roof of main hall is supported by fifteen graceful arches, five on each of the three sides. You can find sermons from the Quran on the arches of the Mecca Masjid and after passing through the main gateway, you will be greeted by man-made pond of blue waters. There are slab benches and two stones on the edge of the pond and whoever sits on them, certainly will return to visit the place once again. The courtyard of the mosque has a room which is the storage place of ancient and sacred relics, one among these is the hair of Muhammed. Mecca Masjid is the best tourist spot as it situated close to landmarks of Laad Bazaar, Chowmahalla Palace and Charminar. To know more about heritage buildings in India, you need to visit Mecca Masjid as it is listed as heritage building of Hyderabad.
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