In Lahore, a little way from Lohari Darwaza, near Chowk Matti, stands the Neevin Masjid. It is built 25 feet below street level, and it is presumed that this is what gives it its name.
It was built during the time of King Bahlol Lodhi era, in 1460.
The governor at the time was Haybat Khan. Accounts suggest that it was a noble at his court, a noble, Zulfiqar Ali Khan built this mosque, and also lived next door to it. A staircase leads people down the main hall. The façade is whitewashed. The roofs boast elaborate blue tiles and calligraphy.
The people who live in the neighbourhood have taken it upon themselves to keep Neevin Masjid well-mainained. The Imam, is also a trader, and donates his salary to any repair works which are needed. It houses some 100 people.
When Punjab was ruled by the Sikhs, many mosques were used for other purposes. For example, Badshahi Masjid was converted into a horse stable, Neevin Masjid was never touched. We can only speculate about the why, but perhaps, it was too inconvenient and too small to be repurposed.
Why is a mosque built underground? We do not know for sure. However, its possible that beneath what we now of Old Lahore, lies an even older version of the city, as is the case in many old cities. Futhermore, it is also plausible that the Old City today was far lower than we know it today. Lahore was ‘curved around’ by the River Ravi, so dried slush may have increased the height of the surface.
This hypothesis is supported by evidence from recent archeological discoveries. A few years ago, when Aga Khan Trust for Culture was working on the conservation of the Shahi Hammam, discovered that the actual structure base stands 12 feet below the outer street level. If Shahi Hammam, built some 380 years ago, is 12 feet below street level, then it is no surprise that Neevin Masjid over 600 years older is 25 feet underground. In an expedition in 1956, a British expedition led by Sir John Marshall found utensils and other household times around 50 feet below surface. They also found that the base structure was far lower. Which also supports the theory that Old Lahore might have risen from the actual surface.
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