Macca Masjid is a beautiful masjid based in Hyderabad – The pearl city of India. This incredible masterpiece was commissioned by Qutub Shahi Dynasty in the 17th century. It is one of the largest as well as most popular masjids in the country. At this place, ten thousand can read Namaz together at a time. This place took about 75 years and three generations of Qutub Shahi Rulers with one Mughal Ruler to get completed. This mosque was named Macca Masjid because the soil for the formation of some portions of the mosque was brought from Macca, Saudi Arabia.
Hyderabad is the city of Nawabs which created numerous astonishing monuments in the city, which are the true pearls of the country. In this city, you can witness the breathtaking Mughal architecture while listening to their royal stories. Hence, Macca Masjid is one of these spectacular monuments here. This masjid is made of Granite and white marble and is located near the Charminar and Laad Bazar. It was listed in the World Heritage Sites UNESCO in 2014.
Macca Masjid Hyderabad history
More than 400 years ago when Hyderabad city was settling and Sultan Muhammad Quil Qutub Shah was the nawab here. He decided to build a big mosque in this big city. Therefore, he instructed his special architects along with his people to find a place for building a mosque. When they were searching for the place they found a poor saint sitting on the ground. He asked them what they are searching for, then the architects told him that the nawab wants to build a masjid in the city. Then the poor saint guided them toward a suitable location for the masjid. However, when architects told the nawab about the land he agreed and told them to start the process.
In 1617 Sultan Mohammad Quil Qutub Shah made announcements in his kingdom. That any person who has never missed a single prayer in his life after the age of 7, can come forward and lay the foundation stone for the masjid. After a month only two people have come forward and said we have missed two prayers to the date. Afterward that the nawab said – “I have never missed a single prayer since the age of 12”. Therefore, the nawab with the two persons has laid the foundation stone for the masjid.
This masjid was formed completely after the rule of Aurangzeb the ruler of the Mughal dynasty over the city. When he found that this mosque is in construction for more than 70 years then he instructed his men to complete it as soon as possible during his rule. However, the construction of the masjid finished in 1694. And to date, it is standing still like the old time. The glory of this monument is the same as 400 years ago.
Architecture of Masjid
Macca Masjid is a fantastic monument designed with eye-catching architecture. This is the ancient structure of the country. For this mosque granite stone is cut into shapes to form a perfect and smooth surface of the mosque. The Masjid is a huge structure based on a 6ft. high platform and it is 104 ft. high. However, during the start of the construction period, 8000 workers were employed working round the clock.
In the front of the prayer hall, there are five arches surrounded by two minarets, each on either side. There are domes on the top of each minaret joined to each other with the ached balcony. The mosque has 108sq. meters long Shan or courtyard with a sundial and old Hammam. Here you can also see a big pond with seats around it made of marble, this place is known as Wuzukhana. This pool is used by people for washing before prayers.
In the south of the masjid, there are the tombs of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty built in 1914 by the last ruler of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Earlier these are only the graves of the royal family. However, now it is an arched, canopied, rectangular building made of white marble with the same architectural style as a masjid. Here are the tombs of 6 Asaf Jahi rulers with their families and the last ruler has a separate tomb in the city.
Tips and timings for the Masjid
- Masjid opens at 4 am in the morning and closes at 9 pm.
- Mobile phones are not allowed inside the mosque.
- It is necessary to wear full trousers and shirts during the visit.
- Talking in the loud voice is prohibited.
- Women visitors are not fully banned about are not allowed in the masjid during the prayers.
- It is a tradition to cover heads in the mosque as a symbol of respect.
- For photography purposes, it is advised to visit during the sunset or sunrise.
Macca Masjid blast
Hatred and revenge leave no space for religion as well as humanity, which gives birth to terrorism. Macca Masjid has also faced the effect of this terrorism once in 2007 when bombs were placed on the premises and on nearby locations. This blast was done on Friday, 18 May 2007 near about 1:15 pm when more than 10,000 people were there for prayers in the mosque. In this blast, 6 people lost their lives along with that 21 people got injured.
Bombs for the blast were placed in a pipe near the Wuzukhana under a marble platform. The bombs were wired with cell phone triggers, this IED contained 60:40 TNT and RDX. However, only one bomb was blasted and not caused a huge distraction because it was under the heavy marble platform. After that police defused two bombs one near the main entrance and the other 100 meters away from the blast spot after the 3 hours. The victims of the incident were taken to Osmania hospital, Hyderabad.
Therefore, after the inspection of the police and CBI charge sheet, the Special NIA started screening the case in April 2011. During the trials, 411 documents were displayed with the examination of 226 witnesses. In the final verdict, Special NIA pronounced all the excused non-guilty due to no evidence. However, the judge of NIA Ravinder Reddy resigned from his post after the final verdict of the case.
Conclusion
Therefore, to conclude, Macca Masjid is an incredible monument created by the nawabs of Hyderabad. This mosque is a place where you will have a peaceful environment. This masjid is hardly four yards away from the Charminar. Hence, visiting Hyderabad for exploring the fabulous monuments carved in undefinable architecture, and experience the fantastic lifestyle of locals with the lip-smacking delicious Hyderabadi food, feels something out of the world.
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