LUCKNOW, April 19 -- A short detour off the Ring Road, along narrow trails cutting through wheat fields and overgrown bushes, leads to a forgotten relic of Awadh's past - crumbling, silent, yet not entirely abandoned. The Kakrabad mosque, also known as Almas ki Masjid, is an 18th-century structure believed to have been built in 1776 during the reign of Asaf-ud-Daula. Today, it stands in a state of alarming decay. Located barely 11-12 km from the city, the mosque remains undocumented and largely unknown even to officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the state archaeology department, and the Waqf Board. A cursory online search yields only a handful of posts highlighting its deteriorating condition. "A couple of years ago, all four minarets towered over the landscape; today only one of them survives," noted a 2020 post by the page 'Mosque of India', one of the few digital references to the structure. The post also observed that the lime plaster has long peeled off, exposing the underlying lakhori bricks to the elements and accelerating decay. "Almas Ali Khan - a khwajasara (third gender), Hindu by birth, and part of the dowry of Bahu Begum at Faizabad - later rose to prominence under Asaf-ud-Daula with the title Rukun-ud-Daula. Known as a wealthy noble and prolific builder, he is credited with constructing an imambara, a karbala, and a palace in his estate, Almasbagh. He was also known for using distinctive 'Almasi' bricks, larger than the slender lakhori bricks common at the time," Lucknow-based historian PC Sarkar said. The mosque itself was built in the typical stucco-and-brick style of the period. Today, however, little remains of that grandeur. Deep cracks run across the structure, sections have collapsed, and vegetation has crept into its weakening walls. Standing on the bank of the Gomti, its fragile silhouette struggles against time and neglect. City-based architect and heritage conservationist Tauheed Haider recalls discovering the site by chance. "Every time I crossed Jehta from the Lucknow Ring Road, this centuries-old mosque would appear briefly in the distance," he said. "On an impulse, I took a detour along a narrow trail through wheat fields. There, nestled amid farmland, stood this forgotten structure - weathered, fragile, and in a deeply deplorable condition." Reaching the site was difficult, he added. "We had to navigate through dense bushes and repeatedly ask locals for directions to reach what was visible from afar. Situated on the bank of the Gomti, it is hauntingly beautiful." Despite its neglect and near invisibility in official records, the mosque continues to host a quiet, enduring tradition. "Conversations with locals revealed another layer to its life. Qawwals still gather here every Thursday, filling these silent ruins with voices and devotion," Haider said. As the world marks World Heritage Day, the Kakrabad mosque stands as a reminder of the many lesser-known monuments slipping through the cracks - unprotected, undocumented, and on the verge of disappearing....