history of mecca masjid

 Hyderabad    The historic Mecca Masjid is located adjacent to Charminar in a south-west direction. The construction of this mosque started in the year 1614 by Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah and was Aurangzeb completed in 1693. Built with local granite, it finds place among largest mosques in India and is the most important and largest one in the city. The arched gallery displays the tombs of all the Nizam’s from the year 1803.

The mosque has a length of 225 feet and is 180 feet wide with a height of 75 feet. The name is derived from the Grand Mosque in Mecca on which it is modeled. The hall has a dimension of 67 metres x 54 metres x 23 metres. The roof is rested on 15 arches.There is a high blocking wall on the western side for Mehrab. It has two huge octagonal columns, which are created from a single piece of granite. This is inturn topped by an arched gallery crowned by a dome. This mosque can accommodate 10,000 worshipers at any time. It is located two hundred yards from Charminar. The mosque was believed to have used bricks during its construction where brought from Mecca. A room in the courtyard is believed to house a sacred relic of the prophet. According to history, Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah invited the entire devout religious elders in the city to lay the foundation stone but as no one had come forward, Sultan Muhammad himself volunteered to lay foundation 

and it is said that he never missed his midnight prayer in life right from the age of 12. Visitors coming to Charminar also visit the holy mosque, which lends a divine aura to the Muslim worshippers in the old city of Hyderabad.