Rewind: Untying the myth of Mahabat, Qasim, Gunj and Dilawar

One expert tries to unravel the history associated with Peshawar’s Mughal-era mosques.

PESHAWAR:

A look back at history usually shed lights on the glory of the past. However, in the case of mosques built in the Mughal-era in the city, a walk down history is a mythical trip, obfuscating the real identity of their builders.

Dr Ibrahim Shah, associate professor at the Department of Archaeology at University of Peshawar (UoP), tries to separate fact from fiction, to give these historic buildings a ‘true story’ with the few facts and documented history which exist.

Qasim Khan mosque has become a household name due its relationship with the moon. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS

Situated in Bazaar Misgaran near Qissa Khwani, Qasim Ali Khan, Gunj Ali Khan and Dilawar Khan mosques have an illustrious history which has been largely shaped by myth and local lore.

According to popular legend, Mahabat Khan (with a mosque to his name as well) had three brothers who built Qasim Ali Khan, Gunj Ali Khan and Dilawar Khan mosques. In addition to routine prayers and announcements made at the mosques daily, these buildings bear special significance to the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the country.

More so Qasim Ali Khan mosque, which has become a household name across the nation due to its unique and controversial relationship with the moon.  The announcement made by the mosque’s khateeb has, for many years, determined when residents of K-P celebrate Eid.

The current khateeb is Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai. The Popalzais of Peshawar have been controlling when people celebrate Eid for several decades.

They have kept the position of khateeb within their family for several generations. Shahabuddin’s uncle Mufti Abdur Rahim Popalzai II was one of the more documented Popalzais. Born in the 1890s, he took part in the Khilafat Movement in his teens. Mufti Abdur Rahim Popalzai II used to publish a journal by the name of Sarfaroosh and was part of the freedom movement against the British. Upon his death in 1944, his younger brother took the mantle, before passing it on to Shahabuddin.

A box full of myth

These four architectural symbols depict an unexplored facet of Mughal history and have gradually become intertwined with the city’s culture. Understanding their disputed origins will open portal for new insights and observations on the city’s past and might make room for better preservation plans.

Although the legend surrounding the mosques has fanned speculations about their origins, it has been deemed inaccurate by some experts.

The Dilawar Khan and Gunj Ali Khan mosques, respectively. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS

Dr Ibrahim Shah has dispelled the impression of the ‘brotherhood’.

“Mahabat Khan’s brothers – Mirza Aman Allah Khan-e-Zaman, Mirza Dilar Himmat, Mirza Garshasp, Mirza Bahroz and Mirza Afrasyab – did not build the mosques,” he says. “It’s a baseless myth.”

Shah is well-placed to comment as he has penned research papers on the subject and relies on hard facts and history to confirm his findings. Based on his research, Mahabat Khan Mosque was built in 1660, during the period of Emperor Aurangzeb.

“It was built by the Mughal governor of Kabul and Peshawar, Nawab Mahabat Khan,” reiterates Shah.

Mahabat was born in 1612 during Mughal Emperor Jehangir’s reign.  Many years later, he served in the court of Shah Jehan and was awarded the title of Mahabat Khan. During the period of Shah Jehan, Mahabat Khan served as the governor of Peshawar and Kabul twice. He was once again appointed governor of Peshawar and Kabul in Aurangzeb’s period.

Mahabat Khan was poisoned to death in 1675 in Gujranwala. His body was brought back to Peshawar and interred in Hazar Khwani graveyard.

After Sikh rulers invaded and conquered Peshawar in 1834, the mosque was vandalised. According to some accounts, the minarets of the mosque were used as execution sites. However, with the arrival of the British, the mosque was repaired. In 1982, the Auqaf department declared it a historical site.

Undoing collective history

However, the history of the other mosques is not linked to Mahabat Khan or his brothers, says Shah.

He insists Ganj Ali Khan mosque, located in the Bazar-e-Kalan, was built by Ganj Ali Khan Allah Beg. He served as a mansabdar (official designation circa Mughal period) under Shah Jehan and his son Aurangzeb. The building was constructed during the second half of the seventeenth century during Aurangzeb’s rule.

According to Shah, Dilawar Khan mosque was built by Dilawar Khan, son of Bahadur Khan Ruhillah, an official under Shah Jehan and Aurangzeb. According to Shah, he was sent to Kabul in 1658-59 and may have built the mosque in the late seventeenth century.

Mughal-era mosques in Peshawar bear testament to a rich and fascinating history. It is difficult to rely on conjecture to understand their origins. Historians, academic and archaeologists should collaborate with the government to uncover the story of its creation.

Similarly, Qasim Ali Khan mosque was actually built by Qasim Ali Khan, a news writer in the government of the Kabul during Emperor Aurangzeb’s reign (1658 to 1707), says Shah. The man is entombed in a niche opposite the mosque’s main building, he adds.

Shah claims there are conflicting views on who built the mosque. Other contenders include one of Emperor Akbar’s engineers, Qasim Khan, who was governor of Kabul from 1589-1595. However, it is equally difficult for Shah to accept this version.

“The name of the mosque is Qasim Ali Khan not Qasim Khan. More importantly, the mosque is not spacious enough to be conceived as the work of a governor.”

Qari Javed Iqbal in his book Saqafat-e-Sarhad; Tareekh Kay Ainee Main notes the Auqaf department dates the mosque to 1842 (roughly a hundred years after the time period Shah puts the mosque’s origin at). Iqbal claims it was built when Peshawar was under Sikh rule.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2014.