This octagonal wooden mosque on the bank of the Jhelum River is one of the most beautiful buildings in Kashmir. Built originally in 1395 to honour the Sufi mystic Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, it has burned and been reconstructed several times — the current structure dates from 1731. The exterior is covered in extraordinarily fine papier-mâché lacquerwork: geometric patterns, calligraphy, and floral motifs in jewel colours applied layer by layer by craftsmen who worked without any outside tools. No nails were used in the construction; the entire structure is held together with traditional joinery.
Non-Muslims are not permitted inside the mosque; women are not permitted inside at any time. But the exterior can be examined closely from the riverside path and the adjacent market lanes, and the craftsmanship visible from outside alone justifies the visit. The mosque sits beside the Jhelum near the old Habba Kadal bridge, in the most atmospheric part of the old city. The surrounding area has several craft workshops selling papier-mâché items, some directly made in the tradition Hamadani introduced.