Mosques

Baitul Mukarram National Mosque

The national mosque ofBangladesh, Baitul Mukarram, is situated in the heart of the busy city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Dhaka is the largest city in Bangladesh with a population of 11 million. It is also one of the most populous cities in the world.

Followers of the Islamic faithconsider a mosque to be the primary place of worship where Muslims gather together for prayer. Mosques reflect traditional Islamic architecture and are recognized world-wide for their importance to the Muslim community. In addition to the importance mosques have with regard to worship and prayer, they also serve as places to learn about Islam and to meet fellow believers. With this in mind, it is clear that Baitul Mukarram, being the national mosque of Bangladesh, is of significant importance to Muslims in the area.

Due to the rapid growth of the city of Dhaka in the late 1950s, the need arose for a large capacity mosque to care for the increasing Muslim population. The Baitul Makarram Mosque Society was established in 1959 to oversee the project. The land that was selected for the mosque complex is close to the central business district of the city and easily accessible. The mosque complex of Baitul Mukarram was designed by the architect T Abdul Hussain Thariani and has several modern architectural features, while still beautifully preserving the traditional principles of mosque architecture. Construction began on 27 January 1960 and has been carried out in phases.

The mosque complex includes shops, libraries, offices and parking areas. The main prayer hall has an area of 26,517 square feet with an additional mezzanine floor on the eastern side which measures 1,840 square feet. The prayer hall has verandas on three of its sides. The mihrab (niche in wall of mosque showing the direction of Mecca) is rectangular instead of the more traditional semi-circular design and ornamental decoration has been kept to a minimum. The gardens with rows of fountains are beautifully maintained. The architectural style of Baitul Makarram closely resembles the famous Ka’abah at Mecca, distinguishing it from other mosques in Bangladesh.

The Binat Bibi Mosque is a square, single domed mosque measuring 12 feet (3.7 m) square internally with a single hemispherical dome atop the square room. Entrances are from east, north and south. Pre-Mughal features included the curved cornices and battlements, corner octagonal turrets, and arches on the south, north and eastern sides. The ornamentation is modest and the building is coated with plaster. One of the most oldest buildings in the city and about 600-years of old. Architecture of this Majar has similarity with Sat Gambuj Masjid. There is a same architecture in Rohan Pur of Chapai Nawabganj. But the Shat Masjid is an unique Masjid and the same kind of masjid is not found in any other place. This is a very beautiful architecture by Shaista Khan. This could be one of the places of tourist attractions without hampering the holiness and prayer schedule of the masjid.

It was my holiday and I was trying to somewhere to shot. The day before I ask some people for a short photo walk, but one was free enough for this. Then I knocked Saif bhai (Gazi Saif Sohel) and he gives me the green signal. My plan was to shot around 300 years old Saat Masjid (Seven Dome Mosque) or Saat Gambuj Masjid in Mohammadpur.

Archeologists of Bangladesh claim that the Masjid was made by Shaista Khan. He was a Subadhar and army general of Mughal Empire in Bengal region from 1664 to 1688. As the accurate date and year of creation of the Masjid is unknown, we can assume this was made between these years.Size of the Masjid is 17.67 meter X 6.22meter. The masjid has three domes in north to south side and four dooms in four corners. In total it has seven domes, that is why people call it Sat Gomboj (Seven Dome) masjid. All seven domes are almost in same size.

Star Mosque, locally known as Tara Masjid, located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is situated at the Armanitola area of the old part of the city. The mosque has ornate designs and is decorated with motifs of blue stars. It was built in the first half of the 19th century by one Mirza Golam Pir.

Built in the Mughal style by Mirza Ghulam in the late 18th century, this mosque was originally a simple rectangular mosque, measuring 33' x 11' with three doorways on the east facade (main facade) and one on the north wall and another on the south wall. Three domes crowned the mosque, the central one being the larger. Towers accented the corners and the faades displayed plastered panel decoration. In early 20th century, Ali Jan Bepari, a local businessman, financed the renovation of the mosque and added a new eastern verandah.

The surface was redecorated with Chinitikri work (mosaic work of broken China porcelain pieces), a decorative style that was popular during the 1930's. The mosque, which previously lacked any historical significance, is one of the few remaining architectural example of the Chinitikri (Chinese pieces) method of mosaic decoration. This decorative technique is found in the striking star motif that is in part the reason for the mosque's current acclaim and popular name, Star Mosque or Sitara Masjid. In 1987, the Ministry of Religious Affairs commissioned Giasul Huque and Zahiruddin Zahiruddin to make additions to the prayer hall, which was extended to include two more domes.

The great Muslim Saint, Hazrat Shah Jalal (R.A.) is said to have brought the message of Islam to the region in the early 14th ecntury. His shrine is located at Dargah Mahalla in the heart of Sylhet town. At about 6 km away lies the shrine of another great saint Hazrat Shah Paran (R.A.), who is said to be a nephew of Hazrat Shah Jalal (R.A.).

'Shah Paran' (Shah Farhan) (R) was a renowned Sufi saint of the Suhrawardiyya and Jalalia order. It is said that he was the son of a sister of Hazrat Shah Jalal (R) and was born in Hadramaut, Yemen. He was an accomplice of his uncle, Shah Jalal, with whom he arrived in India. In 1303 AD, He took part in the expedition of Sylhet which was led by Shah Jalal. After the conquest of Sylhet he established a khanqah at Khadim Nagar in Dakshingarh Pargana, about 7 km away from Sylhet town, where he started Sufi spiritual practices and activities. He played a significant role in propagating Islam and establishing Muslim rule in the Sylhet region.

It is unclear how and when he died, but he is buried near his khanqah. For centuries, large numbers of devotees have been visiting his tomb, a practice which continues even today. On the 4th, 5th and 6th day of Rabi-ul-Awal, the Urs of Hazrat Shah Paran (R) takes place.

His grave is located in a high hillock and it is carefully preserved at a place which is built with bricks and surrounded by walls. On the northern side of the grave there is an old tree, the branches and branchlets of which are extended above the entire tomb. The name of the tree is 'Ashagachh' (a tree of hopes). From a close observation of the leaves of the tree, it appears that the tree has grown out of a mixture of the fig, mango and some other tree. People eat the seeds of the figs devotionally in the hope of getting rid of diseases. Mangoes are also eaten with utmost respect as Tabaruk. There is an ancient mosque by the side of the tomb. The mosque has been modernised in 1989-91. About 1500 devout Muslims in a body can now say their prayers there.

Adjacent to the main tomb complex of Shah Paran, found in the East of Sylhet, is another tomb visited by worshipers, that of Konya Shah. Legend has it that this follower of the great saints was neither man nor woman. There is a permanent exhibition of the life and times of this saint. Contemporary paintings and pictures featured at the tomb/exhibition depict a person most likely to be a eunuch. Though the original conquerors earned a prominent role in Islamic history, main stream Islam shuns the idea of worshiping saints and eunuchs.

The famous Chilla of Hazrat Sultan Bayezid Bostami is situated on a low hillock at Nasirabad, to the extreme north of the city. He was born in 777 A.D. at Bostan in Iran. He came to Indian and it is said that hevisited Chittagong. There is no mazar of the saint in the shrine. It is an astana and chilla associated with the name of the great saint. A mosque built during the region of Emperor Aurangazeb stands on the bank of a big tank at the foot of the hillock on which the shrine is situated. There are several hundred tortoises in the tank. Tradition has it that these animals are evil spirits (Djinns) who were cast into this shape because they incurred the wrath of the great saint who visited the place about 1.100 years ago.