Despite being regularly inundated due to its proximity to Khanpur Dam Lake, the 19th century Rajgan Mosque continues to express its history and architecture.

The mosque was abandoned in the 70s as locals shifted to New Khanpur during construction of Khanpur Dam. Now, parts of the structure have deteriorated after remaining submerged for months, especially during monsoons. Built in 1872 by Raja Sultan Jehandad Khan, the founder of Old Khanpur Town, the mosque can accommodate 1,000 people at a time.

Officials of the archaeology department at Taxila museum told Dawn that famous architects and artisans of the era were called from Delhi to construct the mosque.

They used bricks and chiseled black stones for the structure and boundary walls, while wood for doors, cupboards and roof was brought from Kashmir’s Leepa Valley. A.G. Lone, a senior archeologist, said: “The mosque has four arched entrances while the main gate is a replica of 1650’s Jamia Masjid Delhi.”

— Text by Amjad Iqbal; Photograph by Tanveer Shahzad