A Portion of Masjid-e-Qutub Shahi Damaged By Lightning Strike

Hyderabad: Following Monday’s lightning strike a portion of Masjid-e-Qutub shahi, a 400-year-old mosque on Langar Houz – Golconda Road was damaged.

The Alem of one of the two main minarets broke and fell on the roof apart from chunks of the minarets, triggering panic amongst those present inside the about 400-year-old mosque.

According to Musallis, the children numbering around 60-70 present inside the mosque panicked following the loud thud on the roof. “Generally there are about 100 children who come to learn the basics of the Quran.

However, due to rainfall, fewer were present. Following the lightning strike, they were afraid and we immediately sent them back to their houses. It was just about 3 minutes prior to Maghrib prayers and slowly Musallis were congregating,” said the mosque’s committee president, Farooq Ansari.

Within minutes of the incident local MLA, Kausar Mohiuddin paid a visit to the mosque to assess the damage, which is estimated to be around 3 lakhs. “The thunderstorm lightening that stuck Jama Masjid Qutub Shahi resulted in all the electrical items burnt (Mike, Amplifiers, CCtv)…,” he tweeted.

The mosque situated on the historic highway between Golconda and Charminar is a large-sized mosque constructed about 400 years. This is situated about half a kilometer from Fateh Darwaza and functions under TS Waqf Board’s authority.

In recent decades during the expansion of the mosque, even the minarets were repainted by the mosque committee including the restoration of the Alem. Despite its historical importance, it does not come under the purview of the Department of Heritage. “No heritage official ever visited here. Waqf department is the only authority for the mosque,” added Ansari.

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