Wakf Board Chairman Mohammed Saleem says renovation works have been given the all-clear following completion of tendering formalities
Renovation of Hyderabad’s historical Shahi Masjid will soon begin under the direct supervision of the Telangana Wakf Board, authorised by the Department of Minority Welfare.
Wakf Board Chairman Mohammed Saleem says renovation works have been given the all-clear following completion of tendering formalities.
He says the board has sanctioned a sum of Rs. 71 lakhs for this purpose. The state government has also approved a sum of Rs. 41 lakhs the renovation.
According to the board chairman, the Telangana State Education and Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporation has been entrusted with the renovation/construction works.
Saleem hopes renovation work will be completed before the holy month of Ramadan. Archaeological Survey of India experts will be a part of the renovation project.
A meeting with concerned officials, including the Corporation’s Executive Engineer Ravindra Reddy, Deputy Director Archaeology B Narayan and the District Minority Welfare officer Mohammed Qasim, was chaired by Salim.
A review panel of experts will conduct a preliminary inspection before actual work begins.
Located in the Purana Baghe Aam or Public Gardens area in the heart of Hyderabad city, the century-old Shahi Mosque was built on the instructions of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan.
The City’s Improvement Trust Board began construction work in 1924 and the mosque was completed in 1933.
Saleem hopes renovation work will be completed before the holy month of Ramadan. Archaeological Survey of India experts will be a part of the renovation project
In Telangana only two mosques — the Mecca Masjid (Also called Makkah Masjid) and Shahi Masjid — are under the direct management of the state government.
Reports say the Minorities Welfare Department is responsible for the maintenance of the mosque. While the Government spends crores of rupees on the preservation and restoration of the Mecca Masjid, it has not given necessary attention to the Shahi Masjid.
One of the Shahi Masjid caretakers, Mohammed Younus, says the government has not done as much as it should, one of the reasons why the mosque had come to this state of neglect and disrepair.
The Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad is one of the largest mosques in India with a capacity of 10,000 people. The mosque built during the 17th century, is a state-protected monument.
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, commissioned bricks to be made from the soil brought from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, and used them in the construction of the central arch of the mosque.
Work on the mosque began in the year 1617 AD. The ruler personally laid its foundation stone. Around 8,000 workers were employed to build the mosque. It was completed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1693
It serves as the primary mosque for the Old City of Hyderabad and is located close to the historic landmark, Charminar.
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