Field guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Mahabat Khan Mosque
Field guide · Heritage
Mahabat Khan Mosque
The Mahabat Khan Mosque is a 17th-century Mughal mosque set deep in Peshawar's old city, white-marble façade, twin minarets, and a frescoed prayer hall above the bustle of the Andarshehr bazaar..
The Mahabat Khan Mosque is a 17th-century Mughal mosque set deep in Peshawar's old city, white-marble façade, twin minarets, and a frescoed prayer hall above the bustle of the Andarshehr bazaar.
Why go
- ✦17th-century Mughal mosque
- ✦Frescoed prayer hall
- ✦Old-city setting
- ✦Qissa Khwani bazaar
History & Architecture
The mosque was raised around 1630 by Mahabat Khan Kamboh, Mughal governor of Peshawar under Shah Jahan and later reappointed under Aurangzeb. Its white-marble façade, three bulbous domes, and twin fluted minarets are late-Mughal in style, with surviving fresco panels of floral motifs and Quranic calligraphy in blue and white. The building's history is not all devotional: during the Sikh era, the Italian-born governor Paolo Avitabile is said to have used the minarets as gallows. The mosque was restored after the British annexation of 1849 and remains an active place of worship at the heart of the old city.
On the Ground
The mosque rises straight from the bazaar lanes, approach through the markets for the full effect. Dress modestly and respect prayer times.
Plan It with GreenPak
Use Plan a trip to pair the mosque with Peshawar's Sethi houses, the Qissa Khwani bazaar, and the road toward Swat.
Planning tip
When to go, October to March for comfortable old-city walking; visit outside prayer times.
Getting there, In the heart of Peshawar's walled city near Qissa Khwani bazaar, explore on foot with a local guide.
Allow, An hour, more with the surrounding bazaar.
