Vanga Shahi Masjid

Ariphil mosque (early 16th century), located in Sarail Upazila, is next to Kālikachha in Brahmanbaria District. Ariphil mosque (আরিফিল মসজিদ) is named after a Saint named Shah Arif. It is a mosque having three domes. Not that much antiquities are left now a days after an extravagance painting. It is situated beside a large water tank locally named as Sagar dighi.

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প্রায় ১৬শ শতকের শুরুতে নির্মিত আরিফিল মসজিদটি ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়া জেলার সরাইল উপজেলার কালীকাচ্ছা নামক স্থান অতিক্রম করে সাগর দীঘি নামক একটি বিশাল পানির ট্যাঙ্কের পাশে অবস্থিত। শাহ আরিফ নামক এক সাধকের নামে নামকরণ করা এই মসজিদটিতে তিনটি গম্বুজ রয়েছে। মসজিদটিতে বহুবার রঙের কাজ করানোর কারনে এটির প্রাচীন বৈশিষ্ট্য আর অবশিষ্ট নেই।

Chuna Khola Mosque or single domed square mosque is similar to Singair Mosque and Bibi Begni’s Mosque. Chuna Khola Mosque has three pointed arched entrances, rectangular frames border the north and south sides. The mosque has three Mihrabs along the west wall corresponding to the three doorways on the east. The central one is huge. Rectangular frames border the Mihrabs too with terracotta decorations. A horizontal row exists at the top. There is a Kalasa motif in the middle of the row above the central frame. The interiors of the Mihrabs are extensively decorated with terracotta motifs.

Unlike any other mosques from around, this one was having plenty of spaces around. In fact it was at the middle of the field (paddy or other seasonal). It is a single dome mosque and the dome is noticeably larger one. Also, the dome isn't placed at the center of the mosque. From my observation the dome is inclined slightly towards the Northern wall.

Apart from the beautiful semi spherical dome atop, the mosque is having three doors at the Eastern wall. And a single door each at the Northern and Southern walls. The mosque has beautiful four columns at the four corners of the mosque (similar to any other from it's contemporary). The shape of this Chunakhola Mosjid is square.

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.

Kartalab Khan Mashjid or Mosque of Kartalab Khan (কর্তালাব খান মসজিদ) is located at the Begum Bazar of Old Dhaka. It was built by the Dewan Murshid Quli Khan, also known as Kartalab Khan during 1701-1704, and the mosque named after him. For its location, people used to call this as Begum Bazar Mosque. Hardly very few people know this mosque as Kartalab Khan's Mosque now a days. The Google Map coordinate of the mosque is (23°43'2.03"N, 90°23'54.59"E), near to the Dhaka Central Jail.

Like any other mosques of that period, this one was built over a plinth like high vault. This mosque has five domes at the top of it, and an extended do-chala (দো চালা) like room at northern side. Though it was built around 300 years back, but now a days none of its antiquities are available.

Old Dhaka is already a congested area and there is hardly any space around the mosque for you to observe. Busy trading is going on around the mosque area. In fact it will be hard for you to stand beside the road and watch the top of the mosque.

There are buildings around the mosque those are using as market. So you can easily use any of those. This mosque could have been used as a token of our glorious past if it were handled with great care.