Mecca Masjid

The Mecca Masjid is placed immediately to the south-west of Charminar on th road to Shalibanda. The works on this mosque commenced in 1614 by Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (the sixth Qutb Shahi ruler) and was completed by Aurangazeb in 1693. Built in local granite, it is one of the largest mosques in India and the principal one of the city. The arched gallery, which is a later addition at the south end of the mosque, consists the tombs of all the Nizams from 1803. The mosque building is 225 feet long, 180 feet wide and 75 feet high. This is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad. Its name is derived from the Grand Mosque at Mecca on which it is patterned. The hall is 67 metres by 54 metres and 23 metres high. The roof is supported by 15 arches, five on each of the three sides. The western side is blocked by a high wall to provide the Mehrab. At each end are two huge octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite each and topped by an arched gallery that is crowned by a dome. This mosque can easily accommodate 10,000 people at a time.