An 18-year old Pakistani student currently living in Kenya has completed a hand drawn sketch of Lahore’s historic Badshahi Mosque, with every line formed from microscopic physics formulae.
Shanzay Khattak said the artwork was a deeply personal, year long project linking her attachment to Pakistani culture, history and homeland with the complex world of physics. She said she is not a professional artist, but began the work while studying in Grade 11 and completed it in Grade 12 after a year of sustained effort.
The sketch depicts the Badshahi Mosque in extremely fine detail. According to Khattak, the lines and patterns are made up of tiny physics equations that are so small and intricate that a magnifying glass is needed to view them properly.
Khattak said physics often felt difficult to her, and whenever she felt overwhelmed by the subject or missed Pakistan intensely, she would sit down and push herself to continue the artwork. Living in Kenya, she said, had kept her physically away from Pakistan, but her heart and mind remained closely connected to the country.
She chose the Badshahi Mosque because of its importance as a symbol of Pakistan’s historical heritage, identity and architectural legacy. By recreating the monument through formulae, she described the piece as a practical expression of keeping her homeland alive in her heart while paying tribute to Pakistan from abroad.
The project also became a personal exercise in overcoming perfectionism. Khattak said she deliberately allowed small mistakes to remain in the drawing instead of tearing the page and starting again, forcing herself to accept imperfections and move forward.
She said the process taught her that the pursuit of perfection can stand in the way of progress, and that real growth often comes from mistakes and accepted flaws. In her reflection on the work, she also linked the idea to Pakistan itself, describing the country as one that has faced many wounds but refused to give up.
