Allahabad Sharif

Allahabad Sharif
Allahabad Sharif
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam Sufism
Province	Sindh
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mosque
Leadership	Khwaja Muhammad Tahir Bakhshi Naqshbandi Sufi Manzoor Qadir
Location
Location	Kandiaro, Sindh, Pakistan
Architecture
Architect(s)	Manzoor Qadir
Type	Mosque
Style	Islamic Ottoman and saffavid
Specifications
Capacity	10,000
Length	330 ft
Width	180 ft
Dome(s)	101
Dome height (outer)	115 ft
Dome dia. (outer)	64 ft
Minaret(s)	1
Minaret height	120 ft
Materials	fair faced concrete

Allahabad Sharif, also known as Grand Mosque Allahabad (Sindhi: الهه آباد درٻار‎) is a mosque and shrine in Kandiaro, Naushahro Feroze District, Sindh, Pakistan.^[1]^[2] It is located on National Highway 415 kilometres (258 mi) from Karachi. The premises also house an education system up till Islamic University level, a hospital, an old age residence and an orphanage.

Patronage

Khwaja Muhammad Tahir Bakhshi Naqshbandi (Urdu: حضرت خواجہ محمد طاہر بخشی نقشبندی), also known as Sajjan Saeen (Urdu: سجن سائیں, Sindhi: سڄڻ سائين), a prominent Naqshbandi Sufi shaykh in Pakistan is the main patron of the masjid.^[3]

Architecture

The inspiration of Grand Mosque Allahabad has been drawn from the most traditional Islamic architectural sites. Preserving the (Kashi) hand painted tile heritage of the Indus valley civilization while utilizing the most advanced technology of fair-finish concrete.

The mosque consists of 101 domes. The main dome is at a height of 115 feet (35 m), the second dome 78 feet (24 m), and the remaining 99 domes are 26 feet (7.9 m), with one symbolic minaret at 120 feet (37 m) indicating the unity of Allah. The domes and the sole minaret comprise the main design of the mosque.

Finish

Allahabad Mosque is unique in design incorporating a fair finish concrete structure combined with hand painted porcelain tile work. Floral patterns have been preferred over geometric designs which require inch by inch details to transfer them onto porcelain tiles.

A group of senior artists volunteered to set up a production unit using hand painting techniques, selection of colours and the firing process to create masterpieces of kashi tiles. They produced kashi tiles for 12 years and continue to produce signature designs, floral and calligraphic patterns on Kashi tiles to adorn the mosque.