well as for communal activities. Masjid Abdul Gaffoor was gazetted as a national monument on 13 July 1979. Architecture Although the wakaf was beleaguered by problems, the resulting Masjid Abdul Gaffoor is rich in architectural features. Features The prayer hall is raised above the ground and surrounded with verandahs at the entrance and sides. It is oriented towards Mecca and thus skewed away from the lot lines and the street. The verandahs are enclosed by a balustrade with circular and lancet-shaped openings and framed by repetitive cinquefoil arches double-framed with heavy mouldings. The bays are marked out with pilasters with ornate capitals. The wide openings give the interior an airiness that contrasts with the heavy columns in the centre of the prayer hall. On either side of the main entrance are two graduated cinquefoil arched openings. The larger ones are nearest the entrance, while the smaller ones are further away. The main entrance to the prayer hall is pedimented with an elaborate sundial in which the 25 rays of the sunburst are done in calligraphy. The sundial is flanked on either side by a series of pilasters and columns in miniature. The pediment above the sundial is shaped like an onion dome. The two square minarets on the left and right are complete with miniature columns and arches. There are panels with calligraphic inscriptions in several places in the mosque, including over the entrance. The interior of the cupola at the centre of the prayer hall is supported by four large cluster columns that form semicircular arches. Square and round calligraphic inscriptions decorate the interior of the cupola. The cluster columns that hold up the cupola have elaborate mouldings and capitals. From the exterior, the cupola emerges from the roof deck as a hexagonal-shaped tower that is divided into three levels and marked out with Doric pilasters. On the first level of the tower are eight cinquefoil windows with coloured glass panes that let light through to the interior. These windows are ornamented with recessed mihrab-shaped moulding and cinquefoil arches. The second level has pilasters and capitals and is topped by a balustrade with bottleneck balusters. There are minarets at the corners of the hexagon. These minarets are crowned with onion-shaped domes with a crescent moon and a star at the pinnacle. The very centre of the hexagon is crowned with a large onion dome topped with a smaller onion