Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Nayabad Mosque
[post_id] => 1990
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/nayabad-mosque/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Nayabad-mosque1-300x211.png
[post_content] =>
Nayabad Mosque is located in the bank of the river Dhepa, just 1.5 km south-west of the infamous Kantaji Temple at Dinajpur in Bangladesh. The mosque is named after the village “Nayabad” in which it stands in the Police Station of Kaharole. According to an inscription found on the central doorway, it was constructed at 1793 AD in the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. During that period, Raja Baidyanath, the last of the Dinajpur Royal family, was the Zaminder (feudal land owner).
Nayabad Mosque was erected at a time when the soil of Dinajpur had already been enriched with one of the most remarkable Navaratna temples, the Kantajew Temple in 1752 AD. The founding Royal family of Dinajpur was still prominent. According to local traditions, the mosque was built by Muslim architectural workers who had come to this place from the west to build Kantaji Temple. They had settled in Nayabad, a village near the temple, and had built the mosque for their own use. There is a grave of an unknown person in the premises of the mosque. Local people believe, this is the grave of Kalu Khan, the master architect of Kantaji Temple.
It is an oblong three-domed mosque with octagonal towers at the four corners. There are three arched entrances to enter the mosque. Among them, the central one is bigger than the flanking ones. These are equal in height and width. There is an arched window each on the south and north sides. Inside in the western wall there are three Mihrabs in line with the three entrances. The central Mihrab is bigger than the flanking ones which are of equal size. Three hemispherical domes cover the mosque, of which the central one is bigger than the side ones. Pendentives have been used in their phase of transition. The parapet and cornice are straight.
Terracotta plaques have been used in decoration of the mosque. At present there are about 104 terracotta plaques rectangular in shape, used in the surface decoration of the mosque walls. The platform of the mosque is enclosed by a low brick wall with only one access from the east. On either side of the mosque are to be seen a number of tombs each of found fixed over the central doorway of the mosque.
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => Court Masjid
[post_id] => 6015
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/court-masjid/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Court-Mosjid-Gopalganj-01-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
Court Masjid (কোর্ট মসজিদ) is located at the center of the Gopalganj Sadar Upazila. It is a nicely decorated mosque having a high minaret beside and a central dome atop of the mosque. The dome and the minaret is oriented with lot of small stars. This mosque was inaugurated (at 1949) by the Khaza Nazimuddin (খাজা নাজিমুদ্দিন), the former governor general of East Pakistan.
[This spot needs more detail. If you have more information and photos, please be advised to add in our website. Your name will be published as a Content Contributor]
)
[2] => Array
(
[name] => Sat Masjid
[post_id] => 7883
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/satmosjid-mohammadpur/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Sat-Masjid2-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
Sat Masjid is located in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka city, the building exhibits seven domes- three over the prayer chamber and four over the corner towers. Hence it is known as Sat Gombuz (seven domed) Mosque. The mosque occupies the western end of a slightly raised masonry plinth 26.82m by 25.60m, which is enclosed by a low wall with a gateway in the middle of the eastern side. This arched gateway with flanking ornamental turrets is exactly in alignment with the central doorway of the mosque proper. The top of the gateway could be approached from either the north or the south by an ascending flight of steps.
The mosque proper forms a large rectangle 14.33m by 4.88m on the inside and is emphasised with massive hollow domed towers of octagonal design on the exterior angles. The prayer chamber is entered through arched doorways - three in the east and one each on the north and south sides.
Corresponding to the three eastern archways there are three semi-octagonal mihrabs inside the western wall. Beside the central mihrab there is a three-stepped masonry pulpit. The central archway and the central mihrab, including two other archways on the north and south walls, have outwardly projected frontons depicting ornamental turrets on either flank.
The interior of the mosque is divided by two wide arches into three conventional divisions - a large central square bay and a smaller rectangular bay on either side. The roof is covered with three slightly bulbous domes on octagonal drums, the central one being bigger than its flanking counterparts. The large central dome is supported by the wide arches together with the two blocked arches over the central mihrab and central archway and the triangular pendentives on the upper angles. But in covering the side rectangles with domes a clever method has been adopted. In order to make a circular base for the dome, the rectangular space has first been made square above by creating half-domed vaults on the east and west walls. These half-domed vaults together with a further series of pendentives on the corners directly support the small domes.
The corner towers have flanking turrets like those in Khwaja Shahbaz’s Mosque and musa khan mosque, both in Dhaka city. Each of these consists of two storeys and is a monument by itself. The lower storey is pierced with four cardinally set arched openings in the north-south and east-west axis. Internally the roof of the lower storey is domical, but its reverse side is flat and forms the floor of the upper storey.
)
[3] => Array
(
[name] => Nidariya Mosque
[post_id] => 4801
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/nidariya-mosque/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Nidaria-Masque.11-300x200.jpg
[post_content] =>
Mughals subadar MANSUR KHAN donated 10.56 acres of land for Nidariya Mosque and built it in 1176. In that time there was Motayalli as Ijar Mahmood Sheikh, Bijara Sheikh Mahmud,and Khan Mahmud Sheikh. People says because Subedar Mansur Kha’s not of having dari(দাড়ী) for that the mosques was known as Nidariya. Now the local people pray in this mosque.
)
)
