Mogla, a historic village about 17 km south of Talagang Town in Pakistan’s Pothohar region, still has something many communities have watched disappear: stone-built landmarks that kept their character through generations of change.
Local residents say the village’s Gulzar-e-Madinah mosque dates back about 200 years. It started as a small, simple structure, then was rebuilt in 1905 using dressed stone. The work was carried out by Fateh Khan, a mason from Mogla, with wooden doors and a wooden ceiling added as part of the rebuild. Later updates continued to shape the building. In 1940, renovations added minarets. Another renovation in 1981 expanded the main prayer hall and removed the painted wooden ceiling, while reusing three older wooden doors. Above those doors, wood latticework still shows the skill of local masons and wood craftsmen.
For mason contractors, that reuse is a straightforward reminder. When restoration or renovation starts, the first job is documentation. Photograph openings, measure arches, record stone coursing, and inventory salvage pieces before anything comes down. Those steps protect details like carved doors, latticework, and original stone facades that are difficult to replace once lost.
Mogla’s craftsmanship shows up beyond the mosque. A baithak next to it was built in 1972 by a father-and-son mason team, Sultan Muhammad and Shabbir Ahmad. The building features a central wooden pillar and arched windows with rosette ornamentation. Nearby, a haveli built in 1958 includes inscriptions that preserve the names of the masons and painter involved, with carved wooden doors, painted ceiling sections, and ornamental interior woodwork.
Stories like Mogla’s underline a practical truth for the trade: heritage work is not only about materials like stone, brick, and mortar. It is also about keeping the record of who built it, and what details made it worth saving.
Read the full, original article from The Friday Times here.