| Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque | |
|---|---|
مسجد شاه دوشمشیره | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Geographic coordinates | 34°30′56.4″N 69°10′17.2″E / 34.515667°N 69.171444°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | mosque |
Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque (Persian: مسجد شاه دوشمشیره, Pashto: شاه دوشمشېره جومات), the name translates to Mosque of the King of Two Swords, is a yellow two-story mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan (District 2) on Andarabi Road, just off the Kabul River and the Shah-Do Shamshira bridge in the center of the city. It was built during the reign of Amanullah Khan (1919–1929).[1] It was modelled after the Ortaköy Mosque in Istanbul.[2] The design of this mosque is quite unusual for Islamic religious architecture. Its Italian decorative stucco creates an interesting effect that some describe as ‘Afghan Baroque’.[3]
The mosque is located next to the tomb of a Mughal general, Chin Timur Khan, who was also the cousin of the central Asian conqueror Babur. Chin Timur helped conquer much of India and is famous for the Battle of Khanwa, in which he took a leading role. Not far from here are the tombs of Babur and many other prominent Muslim commanders who invaded India from Afghanistan and established Muslim rule over northern India (including modern Pakistan and Bangladesh).
The shrine was the site of the murder of Farkhunda Malikzada on March 19, 2015.[4]
In June 2021, the mosque was fully renovated.[5]
In May 2024, the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) insurgency group claimed to have carried assassination against Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada while he was visiting the mosque during a trip he made to Kabul, killing three of his special security guards and injuring another.[6]
- ^ Girardet, Edward; Jonathan Walter, eds. (1998). Afghanistan. Geneva: CROSSLINES Communications, Ltd. p. 291.
- ^ Ahmed, Faiz (2017). Afghanistan Rising: Islamic Law and Statecraft Between the Ottoman and British Empires. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780674982161.
- ^ "Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan". GPSmyCity. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- ^ Joseph Goldstein (March 29, 2015). "Woman Killed in Kabul Transformed From Pariah to Martyr". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Shah do Shamshira Mosque Renovated in Kabul | MUDL".
- ^ "3 Taliban Members Killed In Attack On Group's Leader's Guards In Kabul, Claims AFF". Afghanistan International. May 18, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.