Mosque City of Bagerhat

The Mosque City of Bagerhat (Bengali: মসজিদের শহর বাগেরহাট; historically known as Khalifatabad) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bagerhat District, Bangladesh. It contains 360 mosques, public buildings, mausoleums, bridges, roads, water tanks and other public buildings constructed from baked brick. The mosques were built during the Bengal Sultanate in the 15th century, of which the Sixty Dome Mosque is the largest. Other mosques include the Singar Mosque, the Nine Dome Mosque, the Tomb of Khan Jahan, the Bibi Begni Mosque and the Ronvijoypur Mosque. The mosques were built during the governorship of Ulugh Khan Jahan, a Turkic military officer appointed as governor in the Sundarbans by Sultan Mahmud Shah of Bengal.

The site was a "mint town" of the Bengal Sultanate. Bagerhat has one of the largest concentrations of sultanate-era mosques in Bangladesh. The historic city has more than 50 structures built in the ...Read more

The Mosque City of Bagerhat (Bengali: মসজিদের শহর বাগেরহাট; historically known as Khalifatabad) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bagerhat District, Bangladesh. It contains 360 mosques, public buildings, mausoleums, bridges, roads, water tanks and other public buildings constructed from baked brick. The mosques were built during the Bengal Sultanate in the 15th century, of which the Sixty Dome Mosque is the largest. Other mosques include the Singar Mosque, the Nine Dome Mosque, the Tomb of Khan Jahan, the Bibi Begni Mosque and the Ronvijoypur Mosque. The mosques were built during the governorship of Ulugh Khan Jahan, a Turkic military officer appointed as governor in the Sundarbans by Sultan Mahmud Shah of Bengal.

The site was a "mint town" of the Bengal Sultanate. Bagerhat has one of the largest concentrations of sultanate-era mosques in Bangladesh. The historic city has more than 50 structures built in the local Bengal Sultanate variant style of Indo-Islamic architecture. This is sometimes called the 'Khan Jahan Style'. These were uncovered after removing the vegetation that had obscured them from view for many centuries. The site has been recognised by UNESCO in 1983 under criteria (iv), "as an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble which illustrates a significant stage in human history", of which the Sixty Dome Mosque with actually 60 pillars and 77 domes, is the most well known. The mosques feature terracotta artwork and arabesque.

 Terrocotta arabesque on a corner wall, Sixty Dome Mosque

The Bengal Sultanate appointed Khan Jahan Ali, also known as Ulug Khan, as its governor in the Sundarbans in southern Bengal during the 15th century. Ulugh Khan Jahan was a person of Turkic-origin. The title of Ulugh was common to rulers from the Turco-Persian tradition.[1] The Bengal Sultanate attracted many immigrants from the Middle East and Central Asia, who brought with them ideas of Islamic architecture.[2] Sufism was employed by Muslim missionaries to attract the local population. The high concentration of mosques suggests the rapidity with which the local population converted to Islam.[citation needed]

According to sultanate taka, it was built in the 15th century and was known by the name of Khalifatabad during the 16th century.[3][4][5][6]

Ulugh Khan Jahan administered an area covering parts of present-day Khulna Division and Barisal Division in Bangladesh.[6] Inscriptions in Bagerhat indicate that the mosque was built during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah between 1450 and 1459. Interestingly, Mahmud Shah was also responsible for transferring Bengal's capital from Pandua to Gauda. The reign of Mahmud Shah was marked by significant architectural development.[citation needed] In south Bengal, the mosque city of Bagerhat displays the simplistic 'Khan Jahan Style' of Bengali Islamic architecture.[6] Ulugh Khan Jahan was responsible for establishing a planned township with roads, bridges, and water supply tanks (of which the Ghoradighi and Dargadighi still survive), cisterns, and several mosques and tombs.[citation needed] Ulugh Khan Jahan was a Sufi.[7]

In 1895, an extensive survey of the area was conducted by the Archaeological Survey of British India, and restoration was put into effect in 1903–04 on the Sixty Dome Mosque. In 1907-8 part of the roof and 28 domes were restored.[8] In 1982–83, UNESCO drew up a master plan for the Bagerhat area and it became a World Heritage Site in 1985.[9]

^ Richard M. Eaton (1996). The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760. University of California Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-520-20507-9. Khan Jahan (d. 1459) ... the inscription on his tomb identifies this man as 'Ulugh Khan-i 'Azam Khan Jahan,' suggesting he was an ethnic Turk ('Ulugh') and a high-ranking officer ('Khan-i 'Azam') in the Bengal sultanate. ^ Richard M. Eaton (1996). The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760. University of California Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-520-20507-9. The literature and the architecture of the period reveal the new ruling class's profoundly foreign—that is, non-Bengali—character. In 1626 ... journeyed to Rajmahal and wrote of encountering people whose family origins lay in Balkh, Bukhara, Khurasan, Iraq, Baghdad, Anatolia, Syria, and North India. ^ Cite error: The named reference Unesco was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Cite error: The named reference Advisory was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Cite error: The named reference Plaque was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ a b c Perween Hasan (2007). Sultans and mosques: the early Muslim architecture of Bangladesh. I.B.Tauris. pp. 72–. ISBN 978-1-84511-381-0. ^ Cite error: The named reference LeungMeggitt2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Begum, Ayesha (June 2003). "Architectural Heritage of Khalifatabad". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Humanities. 48 (1): 71. Retrieved 15 May 2011. ^ Ahmad, Nazimuddin (1989). The buildings of Khan Jahan in and around Bagerhat. University Press. p. 8. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
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