Khushab is an old town of Punjab, located on the east bank of the river Jhelum. Its earliest mention is found in the Baburnama, where Emperor Babur writes about its location. In the Ain-i-Akbari, it is mentioned as a pargana, a revenue unit in the Mughal administrative system, roughly equivalent to a modern tehsil. It remained an important town and marketplace during the Sikh and British periods.
This old town has many historic buildings that reflect its past history and culture. One such building is a very old mosque in the heart of the old town. A local history enthusiast, Shehzad Aslam, guided me to this mosque and said that it was almost five hundred years old. It is claimed to have been built during the reign of Sher Shah Suri in 1541, but there is no record to support this claim. Anyway, it is obvious that the mosque is very old. The mosque is located at 32°17'34.81"N, 72°21'22.30"E.
Shehzad told me that the mosque is also called the Mosque of Sharifuddin, a person who served it for a long time in the past, and the mosque became known after him. As we know, Sher Shah Suri already has a large number of unverified constructions attributed to his name, so I shall attribute this mosque to Sharifuddin.
Mosque of Sharifuddin in Khushab. (20.09.2025.)
Another view of the mosque. (20.09.2025.) A closer view of the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
The writer. (20.09.2025.)Mihrab of the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
hushab. (20.09.2025.)
The inside view of the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
Very beautiful decorative work surivives on the dome. (20.09.2025.)The doors are unusually very low, probably just four feet in height. (20.09.2025.)
An old house near the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
The mosque is undoubtedly very old. However, it has lost all of its original decorative work and now appears plain and simple. Its walls are remarkably thick, over three feet in width. Another striking feature is its unusually low doors, perhaps only about four feet high. Shehzad Aslam suggested that the doors might have been kept low for security reasons. But was the mosque ever intended to serve as a defensive stronghold? I have my doubts.
By this time we were tired, but Shehzad suggested not to miss another landmark mosque nearby. This mosque too has historic importantce and is three hundred years old. But unlike mosque of Shrifuddin, its building is not that much old. The facade though is sixty or seventy years old. However, its architecural beauty and elegance imprssed me. The mosque is located on the same road at: 32°17'37.30"N, 72°21'12.90"E.
A panoramic view of the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
Beautiful facade of the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
Three central arches. (20.09.2025.)
Verandah of the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
Mihrab of the mosque. (20.09.2025.)
The main prayer hall. (20.09.2025.)
Regarding the Mosque of Sharifuddin, I wish it were more properly researched by historians and archaeologists to establish its history and antiquity. Proper restoration work should also be done to restore this to its original shape and beauty. All efforts should be made to preserve this historic monument by official authorities, as local people have neither resources nor exprtise to accomplish this task.
Tariq Amir
October 2, 2025.
Islamabad
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