The mosque was submerged in a reservoir for more than 30 years.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW DELHI — Drought in India has revealed that a mosque building was submerged by a dam. This mosque has been submerged in a reservoir for more than 30 years.
The mosque was found amid the remnants of mud from the Phulwaria Dam. A photo shows how the small structure rises about 30 feet above the ground to the top of its dome, with three arched entrances. Locals call the mosque the Noori Mosque, which was submerged after the construction of the Phulwaria Dam in 1985.
Since then, as Newsweek reported on Tuesday (9/13), the dam has been used for agriculture and also to supply water to villages. However, its construction caused the evacuation of nearby communities due to the rising water level of the dam.
Residents moved elsewhere, but the mosque was abandoned in place, until it sank into a dam. In the years that followed, sometimes the tip of the upper building of the mosque can be seen from afar.
However, this year the water level in the dam has dropped significantly due to drought, revealing the entire mosque building. The sight of the mosque prompted many to go see it up close, despite the wet and muddy conditions. The building was completely intact despite having been submerged in water for decades.
The exact age of the mosque has been discussed among the public, but no one knows for sure what exact time the mosque was built. Some say the mosque was built in the early 1900s and may be around 120 years old, based on its architecture.
Just as the mosque’s past is uncertain, so is its future. It is unclear if it can now be moved elsewhere or if it can be reapplied when the water level finally rises. For now, drought conditions persist in India.
This year, extreme weather conditions have hit many countries. Floods have hit Pakistan and heat waves and droughts have broken records in the western world. In the United States, the shrinkage of the Lake Mead Dam has revealed several sets of skeletal remains that need to be assessed by local authorities. In China, a severe drought has pointed to the base of an ancient rock island that usually sinks into the waters of the country’s largest freshwater lake.
