Chaqchan Mosque
The Chaqchan Mosque, meaning “The Miraculous Mosque,” is a Sufi Noorbakshia mosque in Khaplu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It was built around 1370 CE, making it one of the region’s oldest mosques, from a time when many people switched from Tibetan Buddhism to Islam. The building blends Tibetan, Kashmiri, Persian, and Mughal architectural styles.
The mosque is two stories high and has a cube-shaped design with a semi-basement, a ground floor, and a turret on top. Its outer walls are made of wooden slabs with mud plaster, a traditional method that helps weatherproof the structure in cold winters.
There are different stories about who built it. Some say Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, while others say it was built when Sufi saint Syed Nurbakhsh arrived from Kashmir and the local ruler converted to Islam in 1370. Historians note that the latter theory might not fit with other dates.
The mosque is protected as a Pakistan Heritage Site and is still in use after conservation work. It can hold about 500 people, including verandah, and has one spire.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:11 (CET).