Some Picture Of Goaldi Mosque In Sonargaon

History Of Goaldi Mosque Surviving Medieval Monument

History

Built in 1519, the graceful, single-domed Goaldi Mosque is the most impressive of the few extant monuments of the old capital city, and a good example of pre-Mughal architecture.

This mosque is one of the few remnants from the Sultanate period in Sonargaon, during the reign of Sultan Hussain Shah in 925 Hijri (1519AD). It was built by Mulla Hizabar Akbar Khan in the early 16th century, during the reign of Alauddin Husain Shah at a place called Goaldi - half a mile northeast of Panam village in Sonargaon. Sonargaon was the administrative center of medieval Muslim rulers of East Bengal. It became as the capital of Bengal during Isa Khan's ruling. The area falls under present-day Narayanganj District, Bangladesh. This mosque is more elegant and ornate in comparison to the earlier Sultanate mosques at Bagerhat.

Architectural features

The Goaldi mosque is a good example of the 'enclosed square type' mosque of Bengal that is distinguished by a cubical prayer chamber with corner towers and entrances on all sides except the qibla wall. A single dome caps the mosque; engaged ribbed turrets define the four corners; and the cornice is gently sloped. Circular corner towers are a deviation from the usual octagonal corner towers. This is the only example of circular corner towers in the Dhaka district. Accentuating the cornice is a row of small niches with floral motifs inside.

The east facade has three arched openings, embellished on either sides with rectangular panels of delicate relief work in the form of a niche with an ornamental hanging lamp motif. The north and south facades similarly display three arches, though only the center arch is open while the two side arches are blind.

The cubical prayer chamber measures 7.57 m and the walls are 2 m thick. The dome is carried on squinches that spring from the tops of stone pilasters, two on each wall. The qibla wall has three mihrabs. The use of black basalt for the central mihrab was a common practice during the sixteenth century. It is decorated with beautiful, intricate patterns composed of an ornamental hanging lamp motif. The two flanking mihrabs are decorated in similar fashion but instead of black basalt they are made of brick and fine terra cotta work. Lotus motifs are found carved in the spandrels and are closely related to the lotuses held by the Hindu god, Surya.

Present condition

The condition of mosque had deteriorated: with the exception of the qibla wall the entire mosque had collapsed, including the dome. Careful restoration was executed by the Department of Archaeology and Museums and this small graceful mosque is now restored to resemble its original design.

Architectural Description Of Goaldi Mosque

Goaldi Mosque one of the very few surviving medieval monuments in the city of sonargaon. About six km northwest of the little township of Panam, near Sonargaon in Narayanganj district, there are two such precariously surviving old single-domed mosques in the sequestered hamlet of Goaldi, virtually hidden behind thick bamboo brakes and clusters of mango and jackfruit tree groves.

Goaldi Mosque, Sonargaon

One of the mosques was built in 1116 AH / 1705 AD by a certain Abdul Hamid, during the reign of Mughal Emperor aurangzeb.

This elegant little pre-Mughal mosque - the oldest in the area - was in utter ruins when declared ‘protected’ by the Department of archaeology, but subsequently the monument was carefully restored in 1975 AD. Provided with three arched entrances to the edifice on the east and one each on the north and the south (now bricked up) the base of the dome rests on squinch arches at the four corners which support the dome on pendentives.

There are some ornamental black stone pillars inside the prayer hall for the support of the roof. Corresponding to the three arched doorways on the east there are three richly decorated mihrabs on the west wall, of which the central one is bigger and beautifully embellished with curved floral and arabesque relief on dark black stone, but the flanking side mihrabs are ornamented with delicate terracotta floral and geometric patterns. The central stone mihrab is framed within an arched panel with an expanded sunflower motif in the centre. Below that the spandrels of the multi-cusped arch of the mihrab are decorated within a rectangular frame. The engrailed arched recess is carried on stunted octagonal pillars faceted at stages. Four round-banded turrets at the outer corners rise up to the curvilinear cornice.

Administrative News Of Narayanganj Dist Town

Narayanganj district (Dhaka division) with an area of 759.57 sq km, is bounded by Gazipur and Narsingdi districts on the north, Brahmanbaria and Comilla districts on the east, Munshiganj district on the south, and Dhaka district on the west. Geologically, the area lies on the edge of the Madhupur tract and the Holocene floodplain deposits form the aquifer. The total area of the district is 759.57 sq km., of which 48.56 sq km. is reverine and 0.60 sq km. is under forest. The district lies between 23°33´and 23°57´north latitude and between 90°26´ and 90°45´ east longitude. Average maximum temperature 36°C, minimum 12.7°C; annual total rainfall 2376 mm. Physically the zila is characterised by alluvial formations caused by several rivers such as, Shitalakshya, Meghna, Old Brahmaputra, Buriganga, Balu and Dhaleshwari.

Narayanganj a former sub-divisional town of dhaka district upgraded to a district headquarter in February 1984. Narayanganj, the oldest and the most prominent river port of Bangladesh, grew into a place of trade and commerce and therefore, became known as a ganj. Vicon Lal Pandey (also known as Benur Thakur or Lakhsmi Narayan Thakur), a Hindu religious leader, acquired the ownership of this region from the East India Company in 1766. He declared the markets located on the bank of the river Shitalakshya as endowed property by a will to meet the expenses of the worship of Narayan and consequently, the place got the name Narayanganj.

Narayanganj subdivision was established in 1882 and was turned into a district in 1984. The district consists of five upazilas, 49 union parishads, 881 mouzas, 1374 villages, 2 municipalities, 12 wards and 115 mahallas. The upazilas are Araihazar, Bandar, Narayanganj sadar, Rupganj, and Sonargaon.

Narayanganj (Town) a municipal town (estd. in 1876), consists of 8 wards and 76 mahallas. The area of the town is 18.7 sq km. It has a population of 230294; male 53.51%, female 46.49%. The density of population is 12315 per sq km. The literacy rate among the town people 60.2%.

Narayanganj is connected to Dhaka by three metalled roads and a metre gauge rail line as well as by waterways through the rivers Buriganga and Shitalakshya. Steamer services from Narayanganj started in 1862. At that time, steamer and rail routes via Goalanda and Narayanganj connected Dhaka with calcutta. Narayanganj was then known more as the port of Dhaka. Narayanganj grew in importance after the arrival of the Portuguese and the English traders during the early parts of the 17th and 18th centuries respectively. Though the west bank of Shitalakshya was an important commercial centre since the rule of Mir Jumla in the early years of the second half of the 17th century. One of the important places of Narayanganj is Sonargaon, which had the distinction of being described by Ralph Fitch in 1583 as the place "where there is the best and finest cloth made of cotton that is in all India". Sonargaon is historically famous for manufacturing a species of very fine muslin. Narayanganj at times was known as the 'Dandy of the East.' National warehouse (silo-type), largest jute mill, cotton mills and a number of industrial units are located at Narayanganj. A major establishment of the Bangladesh Engineering and Ship Building Corporation established in 1925 at Sonakanda.

Archaeological heritage: Tomb of Sultan Giasuddin Azam Shah (1389-1411 AD), Baba Saleh Mosque (1481 AD), Goaldi Mosque (1519 AD), three domed mosque of Sultan Jalaluddin Fateh Shah (1484 AD), Hajiganj Fort, Sunakanda Fort, Pagla Bridge, Kadam Rasul Dargah, Bandar Shahi Mosque.

Historical events: Sonargaon of the district was an important historical place from the ancient time. It was the capital of Bengal during the reign of Isa khan.(see Sonargaon upazila HQ)

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 2138492; male 52.60% and female 47.40%; Muslim 92.59%, Hindu 6.43%, others 1.07%.

Religious institutions: Mosque 2006, temple 82, church 4, sacred place 4 and monastery 1.

Literacy rate and educational institutions: Average literacy 39.84%; male 46.23% and female 32.24%. Educational institutions: art college 1, physical education institute 1, marine technology centre 1. government. high school 2, non-government high school 127, madrasa 76, government. primary school 376, non-government primary school 47, kindergarten school 12, satellite school 24, community school 65, NGO operated school 285. The noted educational institutions are Narayanganj High School (1885), Tolaram College (1937) and Sonargaon J R institute (1900).

Cultural organisations Club 125, museum 1, public library 15, theatre group 15, literacy organisation 12, theatre spot 2, cinema hall 32, dakbungalow 6, shilpakala academy 1, shishu academy 1, community centre 8, Islamic foundation 1, mohila sangstha 2. Most reputed cultural institutions are the Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation at Sonargaon and Narayanganj Rifle Club.

Main occupations Agriculture 13.37%, agricultural labourer 8.61%, wage labourer 4.07%, commerce 19.9%, service 23.36%, weaving 5.49%, transport 4.09%, fishing 1.21%, industries 2.74%, construction 1.48%, others 15.68%.
Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, mustard seed, vegetables

Fisheries, poultries and dairies Dairy 636, poultry 860, hatchery 4, nursery 31.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 225.98 km, mud road 748 km; railway 18 km; waterways 111 nautical mile.

Manufactories: Adamjee Jute Mills (closed in 2002), Chittaranjan Cotton Mills, Lakshmi Narayan Cotton Mills, Dhakeshwari Mills, Star Particle Board Mills, Dhaka Vegetable Oil Mills, Husain Paper Mills, Moula Textile, RM Steel Mill, Haripur Electricity Centre, Hosiery Industries, Dying Mill, Aluminum Factory. Besides, Kachpur has become as an industrial town.

Cottage industries: Weaving is traditionally the most important cottage industry. Rupashi and Kazipara are famous for Jamdani sari production. Narayanganj is also famous for hosiery products.

Main exports: Fruits and fruit products, jute and jute products, jamdani saris and hosiery products.

NGO activities: brac, grameen bank, asa, proshika, SIDA.

Health centres: Hospital 4, upazila health complex 7, family welfare centre 34, union health centre 19, satellite health centre 4, clinic 12.

Nearby cities: Dhaka City, Comilla District Town, Agartala

Coordinates:   23°37'23"N   90°30'25"E

Descendants Of Isa Khan

Grave of Musa Khan, the son Isa Khan in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Khan's son, Musa Khan, took control of Sonargaon after his death. On 10 July 1610 Musa was dethroned by Mughal General Islam Khan Chisti. After that, the descendants of Isa transferred from Sonargaon and settled in Jangalbari Fort. Masum Khan was the eldest son of Musa Khan. Masum served as the Mughal army General during the Hughly invasion in 1632. His eldest son was Monwar Khan. Monwar acted as the chief of the Bengal Zamindars' flotilla on the conquest of Chittagong in 1666. A village called Monwarbagh, in Bandar Upazila of Narayanganj District, was named after him. Haybat Khan, another grandson of Musa, established Haybatnagar (in present-day Kishoreganj district) and made it the center of his land-lordship of seven parganas.

James Wise (d. 1886), a civil surgeon in Dhaka for 10 years, published a report on Baro-Bhuyans in Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 43 in 1874. He found information from the account of his meeting with the descendants of Isa in Jangalbari and Haybatnagar. He addressed Isa as the Zamindar of Khizirpur. The Haybatnagar family had possessed sanads sent by Shah Shuja in 1649 and another one from Shaista Khan in 1667. Subhan Dad Khan had been the head of the family in Jangalbari in 1874. The other descendant of Haybatnagar family, Ilah Nawaz Khan, had died in Calcutta in 1872. Other branches of the family had settled in Jafrabad and Baghalpur in Mymensingh, Harishpur in Tripura and Katrabo in Dhaka.

As of 2005, Dewan Amin Dau Khan, the 14th descendant of Isa has been living in Jangalbari Fort in Egarasindur village. The fort seemed to have a circular front and had 40 rooms. The fort was mostly destroyed during an earthquake in 1893.
Popular culture

On 15 September 1992, Bangladesh Government issued a commemorative stamp in honor of Isa.

A jatra, named Isa Khan, depicting the life of Isa, written by Bhoironnath Gangopadhyay and directed by Mridul Kanti Dey, was staged on the premises of Bangladesh Lok O Karu Shilpa Foundation on October 18, 2012.

History Of Sonargaon Subregion

History

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Pre-Muslim period

The name Sonargaon came as the Bangla version of the ancient name Suvarnagrama. Buddhist ruler Danujamadhava Dasharathadeva shifted his capital to Suvarnagrama from Bikrampur sometime in the middle of the 13th century. In early 14th century, Bauddha ruling in this area ended when Shamsuddin Firoz Shah (reigned 1301–1322) of Lakhnauti occupied and annexed it to his kingdom.

Muslim period

The 7th voyage of Zheng He's fleet map based on analysis byEdward L. Dreyer shows that Hong Bao and Ma Huan visited Sonargaon in 1432.

Muslim settlers first arrive in Sonargaon region in around 1281. Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah, a medieval Sufi saint and Islamic philosopher came and settled here sometime between 1282 and 1287. He then established his Khanqah and founded a Madrasa.

Firoz Shah built a mint in Sonargaon from where a large number of coins were issued. When he died in 1322, his son,Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah, replaced him as the ruler. In 1324 Delhi Sultan, Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, declared war against him and after the battle, Bahadur Shah was captured and Bengal, including Sonargaon, became a province of Delhi Sultanate. The same year, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq, son and successor of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, released him and appointed him as the governor of Sonargaon province.

After 4 years of governorship, in 1328, Bahadur Shah declared independence of Bengal. Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq sent his general, Bahram Khan, to depose him. In the battle, Bahadur Shah was defeated and killed. Bahram Khan recaptured Sonargaon for the Delhi Sultanate and he was also appointed the governor of Sonargaon.

When Bahram Khan died in 1338, his armor-bearer, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, declared himself the independent Sultan of Sonargaon. Fakhruddin sponsored several construction projects, including a trunk road and raised embankments, along with mosques and tombs. 14th century Moroccan traveller, Ibn Batuta, after visiting the capital in 1346, described Fakhruddin as "a distinguished sovereign who loved strangers, particularly the fakirs and sufis". After the death of Fakhruddin in 1349, Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah became the next independent ruler of Sonargaon.

Ilyas Shah, the independent ruler of Lakhnauti, attacked Sonargaon in 1352. After defeating Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah, he became the sole ruler of whole Bengal for the first time in history and thus he became the founder of a sultanate of the unified Bengal.

A squadron of the Chinese fleet of Zheng He, commanded by the eunuch Hong Bao, visited Sonargaon in 1432. The information about that expedition comes from the book of one of its participants, the Muslim translator Ma Huan. In 1451 Huan wrote his experience in details in his book Yingyai Shenglan (The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores).

Sonargaon is the eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk Road, which was built by the Pashtun emperor Sher Shah Suri and extended approximately 2500 kilometres from Bangladesh across northern India and Pakistanto Kabul in Afghanistan.

Isa Khan's rule

When Taj Khan Karrani was the independent Afghan ruler of Bengal, Isa Khan obtained an estate in Sonargaon and Maheswardi Pargana in 1564 as a vassal of the Karrani rulers. Isa Khan gradually increased his strength and in 1571 he was designated as the ruler of the whole Bhati region. In 1575 he helped Daud Khan Karrani fight the Mughal flotilla in the vicinity of Sonargaon.

Daud Khan Karrani died in the Battle of Raj Mahal against Mughals in 1576. Akbar then made Isa Khan the zamindar of Sonargaon, making him one of the Baro-Bhuiyans. However, he continued resisting Mughal rule. With the help of his allies, he stood defiant against Mughals in battle against Subahdar Khan Jahan in 1578, Subahdar Shahbaz Khan in 1584 and Durjan Singh in 1597. Isa Khan died in September 1599. His son, Musa Khan, then took control of the Bhati region. But after the defeat of Musa Khan on 10 July 1610 by Islam Khan, the army general of Mughals, Sonargaon became one of the sarkars of Bengal subah. The capital of Bengal was then shifted to Jahangirnagar(later named Dhaka).

British period

Panam City

Panam City was established in the late 19th century as a trading center of cotton fabrics during British rule. Hindu cloth merchants built their residential houses following colonial style with inspiration derived from European sources. Today this area is protected under the Department of Archaeology of Bangladesh. The city was linked with the main city area by three brick bridges - Panam Bridge, Dalalpur Bridge and PanamNagar Bridge - during the Mughal period. The bridges are still in use.

Sonakanda Fort is a Mughal river-fort located on the bank of the Shitalakshya River at Bandar.

Bangladesh period

Lok Shilpa Jadughar (Folk Arts Museum) in Sonargaon.

Lok Shilpa Jadughar (Folk Art and Craft Museum) of Sonargaon was established by Bangladeshi painter Joynul Abedin on March 12, 1975. The house, originally called Bara Sardar Bari, was built in 1901.

On 15 February 1984, Narayanganj subdivision was upgraded to a district by the Government of Bangladesh. Hence Sonargaon became a subdistrict of Narayanganj District of Dhaka division.

Due to the many threats to preservation (including flooding and vandalism), Sonargaon was placed in 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund.

History Of Narayanganj District

Named after Bicon Lal Pandey, a Hindu religious leader who was also known as Benur Thakur or Lakhsmi Narayan Thakur. Pandey acquired ownership of the region from the British East India Company in 1766 after the Battle of Plassey. He declared the marketplaces on the banks of the Shitalakshya river as endowed property to pay for expenses for the worship of the God Narayan. Subsequently, the region was named Narayanganj.

Important developments

• The post office was established in 1866.
• The Narayanganj municipality was officially founded on 8 September 1876.
• Dhaka–Narayanganj telegraph service was set up in 1877.
• Telephony was introduced by the Bank of Bengal in 1882.

Narayanganj became a district (Bengali: জেলা pronounced: Jela) on 15 February 1984. Formerly, it was a subdistrict (Bengali: উপজেলা pronounced: upojela) of the Dhaka district. It grew in importance in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, due to the influx of the Portuguese and the English. The first to develop was the west bank of Shitalakshya. Narayanganj only became important in the nineteenth century, when the Rally Brothers started a company exporting jute to the west in 1830, aided by a company from Assam. By 1908, 18 European companies, and two Indian companies were trading in jute from Calcutta.

From 1947, with the formation of Pakistan, the economy transformed from being mainly a jute production to include jute milling. This followed the establishment of a number of mills in and around Narayanganj that gave the local economy a great boost.

Religion

The district of Narayanganj has 3078 mosques, 269 temples, 10 churches and 4 Buddhist temples.

Administration

• Administrator of Zila Porishod: Abdul Hai
• Deputy Commissioner (DC): Anisur Rahaman Miah

Places of interest

The ancient city of Sonargaon was the capital of Isa Khan, a medieval ruler of Bengal. Sonargaon is also famous for producing muslin, a delicate and fine cloth made from cotton. The Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment surrounds Narayanganj district and protects it from flooding.

• The Bangladesh Engineering and Ship Building Corporation at Sonakanda on the east bank of the Shitalakshya River, established in 1925.