Kasab Khana Mosque

This elegant mosque is situated just south of the Pakistan Railways Carriage and Wagon Shops and along the northern boundary of the Royal Palm Golf Club. During the time of Emperor Jahangir, a populous 'mohalla' or neighborhood was established here to settle the butchers, hence the area came to be called Mohalla Kasaban or the Butchers' Quarters. The butchers were settled far out east of the city as the city's Hindu population despised them for their line of work. 

The mosque was built by the mohalla people in 1649 AD. With Mugal's power dwindling in the mid-1700s, the Sikhs targeted the Butchers' Quarters twice and were warded off by the inhabitants. There were numerous smaller skirmishes due to which they eventually abandoned the mohalla to settle within the city walls. During this time, Kabuli Mal, who had been appointed by Ahmed Shah Durrani, was the governor of Lahore. In the time of Ranjit Singh, the mosque was used as a powder magazine and was under the occupation of General Gulab Singh, who divested it of its beautiful tank and used the bricks to build a house just north of the mosque. When the Sikh rule ended and the mosque was emptied of ammunition, it was occupied by Mian Ahmed Din who was the caretaker of Mian Wadda's Shrine and School on the claim that Mian Jan Muhammed, who at one time was the first Imam of the mosque, was a disciple of Maulvi Muhammed Ismail alias Mian Wadda. Jan Muhammed was a learned man of his time who died in 1671 AD and was buried in a walled enclosure to the north of the mosque.

Presently, the mosque is known as Taj Din Mosque (presumably some relation to Mian Ahmed Din).  It has three domes with the central one being significantly larger than the other two. The central arched entrance to the prayer chamber is flanked on either side by smaller ones. The facade has been renovated with modern tiles and on the inside, the domed ceiling has some beautiful cut-glass work of modern vintage. There is a peculiar tower-like structure in the southeastern corner, which was presumably used for announcing the call to prayer.