New Pakistan Mosque Called World’s Biggest

President Zia ul-Haq knelt with other worshipers Friday to open what Pakistan claims to be the world’s largest mosque. The building accommodates 10,000 people in its prayer hall and an additional 200,000 on its surrounding lawns.

Construction of the $45-million Shah Faisal Mosque began in 1978 with funds donated by the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The mosque, with granite-covered courtyards, is shaped like a Bedouin tent with no central supporting pillars for its white vaulted dome, and with 285-foot-high minarets at each of its four corners.