Mosque of the Moors and Granada Glory in Hyderabad's Jama Masjid Iqbal-ul-Dowla at Begumpet
Although am not biased at judging against a Masjid to another but this particular one has to be mentioned. The Spanish Mosque (Jama Masjid Iqbal-ud-Dowla) on the Paradise-Old Begumpet Airport Road, and very close to my house in Hyderabad, is a striking mosque with unique plan elevation; it was built by Sir Vikhar-ul-Umra Iqbal-ud-Dowla, the Paigah noble, in 1906.
It is believed to be the only one of its kind in India, with pointed arches, a pointed main roof composed of two truncated octagonal pyramids placed one above the other intervened by octagonal domes. The minarets aesthetically placed at corners of the parapet are in the same style, very unusual from those seen in other mosques in the city and elsewhere. And it is difficult to miss them as you climb on (from Paradise side) to the flyover opposite the Airport.
A lot of debate has been done for its semblance to the architectural look and feel of a church!
Note: See more images of the Masjid @ Google Images
On the same shelf:
- The Hindu : Mosque of the Moors by K. VENKATESHWARLU
- The Hindu: Granada Glory, Hugh and Colleen Gantzer
- Masjid Iqbal-ud-dowla, Hyderabad-Deccan, AP ... - Google Map