Adarshatva at 17:06, 18 June 2026

2026-06-18T17:06:26Z

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{{Infobox religious building
|name = Faisal Mosque
|native_name = {{Nastaliq|فیصل مسجد}}{{refn|group=A|name=a|{{lang|inc-deva|फ़ैसल मस्जिद}}}}
|image = A view of Shah Faisal Mosque from adjoing yard..jpg
|image_size = 265px
|caption = Faisal Mosque from adjoining yard
|map_type = Pakistan
|map_size = 250
|map_caption = Location in Pakistan
|coordinates = {{coord|33.729944|73.038436|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|religious_affiliation = [[Islam]]
|location = [[Islamabad]], {{flagicon|PAK}}[[Pakistan]]
|established = 1987
|tradition = [[Sunni Islam]]
|architect = [[Vedat Dalokay]]
|architecture_type = Mosque
|architecture_style = [[Islamic architecture#Contemporary architecture|Contemporary Islamic]]
|capacity = 10,000 (in hall)<br>24,000 (in porticoes)<br>40,000 (in courtyard)
|interior_area =
|minaret_quantity = 4
|minaret_height = {{convert|90|m|abbr=on}}
|construction_cost = 12 crore [[USD]]
|website =
}}

'''Faisal Mosque''' stands as Pakistan's national mosque, situated in [[Islamabad]], the nation's capital.<ref name="mosque1">{{cite web |author=Len McGrane |date=January–February 1992 |title=A Mosque in Islamabad |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199201/a.mosque.in.islamabad.htm |access-date=29 November 2007 |work=Saudi Aramco World magazine |publisher=Aramco Services Company |archive-date=18 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218235923/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199201/a.mosque.in.islamabad.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="mosque2">{{cite journal |author=Neelam Naz |date=13 September 2005 |title=Contribution of Turkish architects to the national architecture of Pakistan: Vedat Dalokay |url=http://jfa.arch.metu.edu.tr/archive/0258-5316/2005/cilt22/sayi_2/51-77.pdf |journal=Journal of the Faculty of Architecture |location=Ankara, Turkey |publisher=Middle East Technical University |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=56–64 |access-date=29 November 2007 |archive-date=23 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123165637/http://jfa.arch.metu.edu.tr/archive/0258-5316/2005/cilt22/sayi_2/51-77.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> Perched at the foothills of the [[Margalla Hills]], it ranks as the [[List of largest mosques|sixth-largest mosque globally]] and bears the name of the late Saudi Arabian [[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|King Faisal]] ({{reign|1964|75}}). The mosque's contemporary design, created by Turkish architect [[Vedat Dalokay]], features eight-sided concrete shell structures inspired by traditional Bedouin tent architecture.<ref name=Tribune>{{Cite news |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/931369/three-pakistani-mosques-make-it-to-worlds-most-beautiful-mosques-list/ |title=Three Pakistani mosques make it to 'world's most beautiful mosques' list |date=3 August 2015 |newspaper=The Express Tribune |language=en-US |access-date=2 March 2021 |archive-date=4 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304091430/https://tribune.com.pk/story/931369/three-pakistani-mosques-make-it-to-worlds-most-beautiful-mosques-list |url-status=live }}</ref>

Recognised as a major tourist attraction and influential piece of Islamic architecture, the Faisal Mosque is celebrated as a masterpiece of modern Islamic design. Its cultural significance is complemented by nearby landmarks like the [[Pakistan Monument]], which showcases the country's heritage, enhancing Islamabad's appeal to visitors.<ref name=TNI>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/129085-Faisal-Mosque-attracts-visitors-from-all-over-country |title=Faisal Mosque attracts visitors from all over country |newspaper=The News International |access-date=17 December 2019 |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930233535/https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/129085-Faisal-Mosque-attracts-visitors-from-all-over-country |url-status=live }}</ref>

Construction commenced in 1976 following an 2.8 crore grant from King Faisal, whose name memorialises the mosque.<ref name="timesnotgift" >{{Cite web |date=13 February 2017 |title=Faisal Mosque not a 'gift' by Saudi Arabia |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/29297/faisal-mosque-not-a-gift-by-saudi-arabia/ |access-date=8 August 2020 |website=Daily Times |language=en-US |archive-date=23 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023044737/https://dailytimes.com.pk/29297/faisal-mosque-not-a-gift-by-saudi-arabia/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After Dalokay's unconventional design was selected through international competition,<ref>{{cite book |title=Back to Pakistan: A Fifty-Year Journey |url=https://archive.org/details/backtopakistanfi00mass |url-access=limited |last=Mass |first=Leslie Noyes |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4422-1319-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/backtopakistanfi00mass/page/n181 157]}}</ref> the mosque emerged without a traditional dome, instead featuring a Bedouin tent-like form surrounded by four towering 90-meter minarets. The distinctive eight-sided sloping roofs create a triangular worship hall accommodating 10,000 Muslims.

The expansive structure spans 1,30,000 square meters (33 acres), dominating Islamabad's landscape. Located at the northern terminus of Faisal Avenue, it sits at the city's northern edge against the scenic backdrop of Margalla Hills in the Himalayan foothills. The Faisal Mosque held the distinction of being the world's largest mosque from 1986 until 1993, when surpassed by Saudi Arabian mosques.

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" mode="packed-hover">
File:Ali Mujtaba WLM2015 FAISAL MOSQUE m 10.jpg|Front view
File:Ali Mujtaba WLM2015 FAISAL MOSQUE 06.jpg|Portrait
File:Faisal Mosque - Bird's Eye View.jpg|Aerial view
File:Snow-capped Margalla Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan.jpg|The mosque and Snow-capped Margalla Hills
File:Shah Faisal Masjid, Islamabad.JPG|Elevation view of the mosque
File:Faisal Masjid on 27th Ramadan.jpg|During [[Laylat al-Qadr|27th Ramadan]]
File:Faisal Mosque by M Ali Mir.jpg
File:Faisal Masjid From Damn e koh.jpg|From [[Daman-e-Koh]]
File:Faisal Masjid seen from Margalla Hills.jpg|View from [[Margalla Hills]]
File:Faisal Mosque, Islamabad, Pakistan.jpg|View before sunset
File:FaisalMasjid.jpg|The mosque at night during prayer times
File:Faisal Masjid in cloudy weather.jpg|Faisal Masjid in cloudy weather
File:A view of Faisal Mosque, Islamabad from Daman-e-koh.JPG|View of Faisal Mosque and [[Jamia Faridia]] from [[Daman-e-Koh]], Islamabad
File:Faisal Masjid at twilight.jpg|Faisal Masjid at twilight
File:Faisal Mosque fanoos.jpg|Faisal mosque main hall chandelier
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
<references group="A"/>

== Other websites ==
{{commons|Shah Faisal Mosque}}
* [http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=9741779a387e22c590b3fe920c7b81 Click here] to see a highly detailed [[3D Model]] of Faisal Masjid in [[Google Earth]].
* [http://archnet.org/library/images/thumbnails.tcl?location_id=2255 Faisal Mosque - ArchNet Digital Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051201002118/http://archnet.org/library/images/thumbnails.tcl?location_id=2255 |date=2005-12-01 }}
* [http://www.worldisround.com/articles/35849/photo30.html Faisal Mosque - World is Round] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118152316/http://www.worldisround.com/articles/35849/photo30.html |date=2008-01-18 }}

{{religion-stub}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Islamabad]]
[[Category:Mosques in Asia]]
[[Category:National symbols of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures in Pakistan]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:20th-century establishments in Pakistan]]

Faisal Mosque - Revision history

Adarshatva at 17:06, 18 June 2026