I - IDYLLIC SKY

The Friday Namaaz or congregation prayer at the iconic Badshahi mosque in Lahore had finished about twenty minutes ago. But Fahad stayed back to take a walk inside the mosque to take a look at its elaborately-decorated interiors and prayer halls and to walk across the enormous courtyard that could accommodate more than 100,000 worshippers. He had done this an umpteen number of times before, but he could never get enough of the monument's marvellous sights.

As he strolled across the courtyard, with the massive edifice made with red sandstone sourced from quarries in Jaipur (India), a gust of wind blew across the landscape. It dishevelled his neatly parted hair, but Fahad had no complaints. On the contrary, it only added a new dimension to the state of reverie that he currently found himself in. He smiled.

Soon, it was beginning to get dark. Fahad checked his watch - it was 6:55 pm. He remembered that he was supposed to meet his friends at Bundu Khan's at the Emporium Mall at around 8:00 pm for dinner. It would probably take him around an hour to reach there considering the usual Friday evening traffic. He decided it was best to leave right away. And so he turned towards the gate, eager to make an exit.

An then he saw it.

One of the minars of the mosque stood tall and dark, with the setting sun in the background creating hues of pink and orange in the sky. A couple of birds that were sitting on the minar decided to fly, almost as if on cue, adding magic to the show in the sky. Fahad's heart skipped a beat.

And then Fahad did what he knew he could do best.

He pulled out his camera and clicked a beautiful picture. 

Footnote: In India, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb is renowned as a tyrant - especially during the last few years of his reign. Also, unlike his predecessors, he was not known to be a patron of art and architecture, having spent much of his reign in military conquests. However, unknown to many, he never spent a single rupee of the royal treasury on himself; he would instead earn his money by writing copies of the Koran. The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore (Pakistan) and the Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad in India are probably the grandest monuments that were built during his reign. Also, interestingly, in accordance with his wishes, he was laid to rest in an unmarked grave within the complex of the Dargah of a Sufi Saint named Sheikh Zainuddin Shirazi, in Khuldabad in Maharashtra. 

Please feel free to leave comments, whether or not you liked what you read. It's a great way to start a conversation or a dialogue. I might be pretty boring in real life, but I promise I'm a lot more fun in this avatar.

Today's fantastic image is all thanks to Lahore-based Fahad Qureshi. He is an MBA from Fast University, Lahore. He describes himself an introvert, a hobbyist and an 'amateur' photographer. A look at his Instagram feed will tell you that he's anything but amateur, this guy's got an eye for beauty and immense talent. His Instagram URL is www.instagram.com/fahadqureshi_

Previous posts in the A to Z Challenge - April 2017:-

A - All Apologies (Poem)

B - Baptism (Poem)
C - Chains (Short Story)
D - Door To My House (Short Story / Sentimental / Philosophy / Wisdom)
E - Evil Eye Deliverance (Short Story)
F - Flight of the Lonely Raven (Poem)
G - Girl With The Rings (Weird Story)
H - Hills Beckon (Poem)