Lahore’s 560-Year-Old Mosque Still Stands 25 Feet Below Street Level

Lahore — Hidden in the Walled City near Lohari Gate is one of Lahore’s most unusual historic monuments: Neevin Masjid, also known as Jamia Karimia, a 15th-century mosque built about 25 feet below today’s street level.

The mosque is believed to have been constructed around 1460 during the Lodi period of the Delhi Sultanate, making it one of the city’s few surviving pre-Mughal buildings. Visitors enter from a small street, Kucha Dogran near Chowk Matti, and descend a staircase to reach the prayer hall.

Despite centuries of urban growth around it, the mosque remains in use and retains much of its original character. Its name, Neevin, comes from the Punjabi word for “low,” a reference to its sunken position beneath the surrounding streets.