Iconic Mecca Masjid mosque in Hyderabad undergoes renovation

The renovation of the Mecca Masjid mosque has started with archaeological department spending Rs 6 crores on the repair works. The mosque which was started during the rule of sultan Qutub Shah of Hyderabad and completed in the time of Aurangzeb had developed cracks and was in dilapidated condition.

Hyderabad (Telangana):The renovation of the iconic Mecca Masjid mosque has started in Hyderabad with archaeological department spending Rs 6 crores to revive the monument to its past glory.

According to reports, workers have been invited from Rajasthan and other states. Two bows have been completed in the interior of the mosque. Along with this, the renovation of the gate of the Mecca mosque is also underway and will be completed in two years.

An interesting event in connection with the construction of Mecca Masjid mosque is that when the foundation stone of the mosque was being laid, Shahi Naqib invited the scholars and said that among the people here, the person who had not left any Fajar (The first or the morning prayer) prayer from the age of 12 would come forward but no one came in front.

Then King Muhammad Qutub Shah came forward and swore by Allah that he had offered all the prayers from the age of 21 including THAJJUD (optional night prayer).

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah then laid the foundation stone of the mosque and the construction was started. During the construction of the mosque, a stone was brought from Makkah, after which the mosque was named and stone erected in the building, is still in the back of the mosque.

Eight thousand labourers worked for 77 years in the construction work of the mosque and the construction of the mosque was completed during the reign of Aurangzeb.

The building of this mosque is 225 feet long 180 feet wide and 75 feet high. The outer cover is rectangular in shape, with a height of 360 square feet.

Two separate buildings have been erected for wudu (Ablution) in the compound of the mosque, and in addition to that is the throne of Sanghi Siya on which the people still sit. To the right of the mosque is the tomb of Asif Jah, which contains the tombs of the Asif Jah rulers, including the shrine of Shashi Nizam Mehboob Ali Khan Bahadur.

For many years, nobody paid attention to the mosque due to which the roof of the mosque had developed cracks and water was entering and the condition had worsened.

The archaeological department has been spending money worth Rs 6 crores on constructing and repairing works for the last one and a half years.

There is a madrassa in the premises of the mosque, where prayer mats have not been changed for 15 years.

The old Wudhu house in which dirt is being poured needs to be cleaned up as well.