Chaqchan Mosque Khaplu

The Masjid Chaqchan means the Miraculous mosque in Khaplu, Baltistan built by Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani or by Shah Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani Sufi in 1370(A.D) is one of the oldest mosque in Baltistan and Pakistan. It is one of Baltistan's most famous landmarks and a major tourist attraction. reading.

According to some sources the mosque was built by Mir Syyid Ali Hamadani and some say on arrival of Sufi saint Syed Noor bakhsh from Kashmir to Baltistan, the Raja of then times accepted Islam and commissioned the building of the mosque in 1370(A.D). The dates are contradicting as the mosque was constructed more than two decade before the birth of Syed Noor bakhsh.

The Government of Pakistan has listed the inclusion of the Chaqchan Mosque as a Pakistan Heritage Site. The mosque is currently in use after restoration and preservation works.

The construction style similar to the roman opus craticum is used to build the masonry walls that is quite suitable and effective construction style for regions with harsh winter season.

Khanqah-i-Chaqchan, the Noorbakhsi mosque, was built in 1381 by Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (783 Hijri), in 1438 by Shah Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani Sufi (842) and in 1505 by Mir Syed Shamsuddin Iraqi (911) – a preacher who came from Iraq and help spread Islam in Kashmir region.

The religious history of Khaplu highlights how Islam came to the region in successive decades and that the mosque was at the centre of the spread of Islam.

According to locals, the building was initially a Buddhist gompa (a centre for knowledge and learning) that was converted into a mosque after the entire population embraced Islam.

However, in his book ‘Messianic Hopes and Mystical Visions: The Nûrbakhshîya Between Medieval and Modern Islam’ Shahzad Bashir states that the general lack of concrete information on the societies of Ladakh and Balitistan for the period means that commenting on the issue of Islamisation in the region is largely a matter of informed speculation.

One of the oldest mosques in Pakistan and listed as a heritage site by the government, the wooden structure is a vibrant mix of Persian, Kashmiri and Tibetan architecture, and has stood for almost 700 years, perched on a shaky foundation which posed a threat to worshippers. The mosque was restored under the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme and is now a major tourist attraction