Choto Sona Mosque

Mahajampur was an ancient Muslim ruled region. This region is situated few miles north to Sonargaon town area. There is a Mosque found here, named Mahajampur Ahamad Shah Mosque, which was built around in 16^th C.E. The style of bricks engraving and placement of dome charms the visitors. There are so many Scholars who had described the location and beauty of this mosque at different time in various writing. Among them, ‘Parvin Hasan & A.K.M. Zakaria’ described its beauty in their writing.

Many ancient evidences of human settlement has been found along with this Mosque & Mazar structure. Archaeologist found a big quantity of ancient bricks wherever they conducted excavation in that region. Two inscriptions being discovered from this Mosque. From one of those inscriptions we came to know about Sultan Shams Uddin Ahmad Shah (1432-1436 AD), which make it named after by his name. But, it has been said that someone named Firoz khan built that Mosque.

This is a six domed Mosque, which is built following the stylistic beauty of Baba Adam Shahid Mosque. Domes over the roof are bearing the evidences of Sultani Architecture of Bengal. It contains various design and decorations which is certainly something needs to be observed meticulously.

Musa Khan Mosque (মুসা খাঁ মসজিদ) is yet another edifice inside the Dhaka University premise that was built during the Mughal era. Location of the antique mosque is at south of Doyel Chattar, beside the Karzon Hall, opposite of the Dhaka University swimming complex. Exact Google map coordinate is (23°43'36.33"N, 90°24'2.92"E). You can find another mosque (Shahbaz Khan Mosque) near that place contemporary to this one.

Probably this mosque was built by Musa Khan, son of Isha Khan who was a prominent Zamindar from Baro Bhuiyan. It was quite unsure about the original time when it was built. Musa Khan died during 1623, but the structure of the mosque is almost similar to the Khwaja Shahbaz's Mosque and it was built during 1679. So neither the date nor the builder of the mosque is confirmed. Some people believe this one was built by either Shaista Khan or even later by Dewan Manawar Khan.

The mosque has a vault platform, and over this plinth the main architecture of the mosque is planted. It is a small building just like any other mosques during that period. It has three domes over the top. Middle one is the larger than other twos. Both the inside and outside of the mosque is plastered with cement and washed white with lime. There is a grave of Musa Khan is available at the northeast side.

The mosque has gone through several renovations. Also from the first sight it seemed to me, it is currently not under proper care. The authority just placed a signboard beside the mosque and thought their works are done. It is not a good practice to color this building with yellow this year, and next year white(I have seen this mosque in several colors over the last few years), and finally let the color be disappeared. We are not in a position to do experiment on such a precious object.

Mahisantosh Mosque located near the India-Bangladesh edge about 13 km northern western of Dhamorihat Thana Sadar in Naogaon place. Mahisantosh, known from Pre-Muslim periods, came to reputation during the guideline of Sultan Ruknuddin Barbak shah (1459-1474) who raised its place to an excellent town and known as it Barbakabad after him. Many traditional hemorrhoids, located in different places of the town, can still be monitored. In 1916 the varendra analysis team conducted a traditional excavation at Mahisantosh in the remains of the Jami Masjid heap. A little element of the mosque was exposed. Very lately individuals, after removing weeds, vegetation and junk of the Jami Masjid heap have developed up a new chauchala tin shade kacha creating on the old ranking of the mosque to perform Sunday desires. From the present remains it is still possible to recover the exclusive design of the mosque.

The 2.25m large materials of the rectangle-shaped mosque (24m X 16.20m externally) with semi-octagonal place techniques at the four aspects were designed of rock and bricks; the main was designed of rocks and the inner and external activities were secured with rock places. The top aspect act was provided with five (arched) doorways. Most probably the main one was larger than the flanking ones. There were three (arched) areas each on the south east aspect of and southern region aspects.

The inner of the mosque (19.50m X 11.70m) was divided by two selections of rock assistance supports, each having four assistance supports. Each main was status on an office rock foundation. The foundation of each main was divided into three sections: the decreased place, about 0.40m, was rectangle-shaped shape with pie design on its face; the middle element, about 1.55m, was decagonal with pattern and gong components and the greater element, about 0.96m, was polygonal (16 sided) with pattern and gong components and suspended pearl-string of 50% team design.

The main nave of the mosque, larger than the element ones, had three rectangle-shaped places and was perhaps secured over by Persia chauchala bins. Hemispherical domes, 12 in all, might have secured the element chicken wings. Thus the ceiling top program was almost just like that of the shatgumbad mosque at Bagerhat (1459 AD).

There are five mihrabs in the Qibla materials invert the top side aspect possibilities. The main mihrab, a little bit larger than the element ones, was removed from here and is now managed in the varendra analysis collection. Originally it was designed from 1 product of rock with amazing eye-catching schemes; pattern and gong, lotus and palmetto are its main ingredients. The extant mihrab at the southern region end also contains amazing developed design. It seems to have been designed of three places of rock. The main element of the mihrab industry is developed with attractive pattern and gong art work. On the element of the pattern is suspended a hand crafted series. A complete bloomed lotus weighs from the end of the pattern. The sidepieces of the rock places have geometric styles in round and rectangle-shaped shape types. The rosettes in the top and platform increase the beauty of the mihrab. It may be described here that the pattern and gong design, a very familiar eye-catching program, is also seen in mosques like darasbari, chhota sona and kusumba.

Stone-blocks calming propagate in and around the mosque involved eye-catching components on their activities. These developed stone-blocks indicate that the external outside of the materials of the mosque may have been developed with rock styles. The attractive devices are mostly geometric in design with flowery styles, palmette, nailheads, pie styles, look for components, pattern and gong components and suspended 50 % round jewelry. Some developed clay-based rocks were also exposed at a lot of period of removing junk. These clay-based rocks might have been used on the inner encounter of the drums equipment of the domes. Similar eye-catching program is seen in other mosques e.g., Darasabari, Chhota Sona and Kusumba.

When the Varendra Research Community conducted excavation on the website they discovered an epigraph product. It authorized the growth of a mosque during the guideline of Alauddin Husain shah in 912 AH/1506 AD. Very lately, another epigraph product was exposed at a lot of period of removing junk from the mosque. Currently it is calming before aspect of the lately designed kacha mosque creating. The epigraph contains two selections of writing and is developed on dark-colored basalt rock. It keep in mind the development of a mosque in a lot of period of Sultan Ruknuddin Barbak Shah by Ulugh Khan Hasan in the 867 AH/1463 AD.

Growth of these two individual from the same ruinous mosque improves some issues about the period of your energy and energy of growth of the mosque. Was the mosque developed in a lot of period of Sultan Barbak Shah or during a lot of period of Alauddin Husain Shah? Was it developed in a lot of period of Barbak Shah and therefore redesigned (or reconstructed) during the guideline of Alauddin Husain Shah? Or, was one of these two individual collected from outside and kept in the mosque when the mosque was in an amazing condition of preservation? It is not possible to figure out any of the above possibilities. It is, however, quite likely that the mosque was developed during the guideline of Sultan Barbak Shah in 867 AH (1463 AD) and knowledgeable a renovating during a lot of period of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah in 912 AH (1506 AD).

Atkandi Nilkuthi Mosque (আটকান্দি নীলকুঠি মসজিদ ) is situated in the Atkandi village of Raypura upazila, Narsingdi. It was built by a man named ‘Alim Uddin’. Alim Uddin built this Mosque just beside the grave yard of his wife ‘Sadetunnesa’. To build this Mughal stylistic Mosque he brought some masons from far land Mohishur, India. Some even compare it with Tajmahal, given its architectural style and the emotions behind it.

Alim Uddin completed his education on Islamic religion from Deobond and later worked as Teacher in a madrasa, conducted by Khawaza Family in Dhaka. Later in 18th century, he built this Mosque, however the exact date of founding this Mosque could not be determined.

It is a rectangular shaped Mosque. Which can be divided into three specific spatial context. We can exemplify it as below- 1. Inner zone 2. Exterior Corridor zone 3. Exterior Porch zone (under open sky)

Inner Zone of this Mosque contains three domes, and a Mihrab. Among these, three bulbous domes, among which the middle one is the biggest. The inner zone contains two entrances.

Exterior corridor zone of this mosque is elongated in north-south forming a rectangular shape. It contains five bulbous domes, which is smaller than other three. This zone also contains five entrances which are arch shaped and decorated with multi foiled design. In parapet it’s decorated with the Merlon design. In the base line of outer wall it’s decorated with a pitcher design.

Exterior porch zone of this mosque was built considering the large gathering which take place. It’s a square shaped plastered floor, with one feet high bordered wall all around the porch. It contains a main gateway to enter into the Mosque.

Public gathering in different occasion:

In different kind of public occasions, like in the eve of Eid-festivals and in common vacations people from different parts of the country come here to visit this place. On the southern part of this Mosque there is an old Ghat (in the edge of a river) which has stepped down to the branch of Meghna river. So far we know, it was built by G.P. Wize when this region was a place to plant indigo in a massive scale.

Present Condition and ruins of several unrevealed structure:

Present condition of this Mosque is not so consistent in a sense of building strength. It is in very sensitive condition, where it is randomly being used without any treatment of conservation & preservation. That’s why we can observe some deterioration in the brick building both in Exterior & interior part.

In the northern part of the Mosque there are some ruins of buried structure. Some outer portion of that buried structure is seem like spherical shape. Which demands more exploration and systematic archaeological excavation to reveal the history behind this region.