Hazratbal Shrine

The Hazratbal Shrine, also known as Dargah Hazratbal, is a Sufi dargah and mosque located in Hazratbal area of Srinagar, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The shrine houses the Moi-e-Muqqadas, a relic traditionally believed to be a hair strand of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. The shrine is situated on the northern bank of Dal Lake in Srinagar and is regarded by many Muslims as the holiest Islamic religious sites in Kashmir. == Etymology == The name of the shrine is a combination of the Arabic word hazrat (lit. 'respected') and the Kashmiri word bal (lit. 'place'). == History == The Hazratbal Shrine was established under the patronage of Inayat Begum, the daughter of Khwaja Nur-ud-Din Eshai, who served as the custodian of the relic. The earliest structure on the site was constructed in 17th century by Mughal subedar Sadiq Khan during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. The building was initially called Ishrat Jahan and was converted into a prayer hall in 1634 on the orders of Shah Jahan. Construction of the present day structure began in 1968 and took 11 years to complete, finishing in 1979. According to tradition, the relic was first brought to Kashmir by Syed Abdullah Madani, who is described as a descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Abdullah Madani left Medina and settled in Bijapur in Southern Indian in 1635, during the period of Mughal expansion.