Showing posts with label Mosque. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mosque. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
History Of Goaldi Mosque Surviving Medieval Monument
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Historical Background Of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah
Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (Bengali: ফখরুদ্দিন মুবারক শাহ)(reigned: 1338–1349) ruled an independent kingdom in areas that lie within modern-day eastern and southeastern Bangladesh. He is also the first Muslim ruler to conquest Chittagong, the principal port of Bengal region in 1340 AD.
Fakhruddin's capital was Sonargaon. Sonargaon emerged as the principal city of the region as the capital of an independent sultanate during the reign of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah. His conquests of Comilla and Noakhali were followed by territorial gains to the north Sylhet and south Chittagong. His military initiatives included a successful naval action against Sultan Alauddin Ali Shah of Lakhnauti. Shah sponsored several construction projects, including a trunk road and raised embankments, along with mosques and tombs. Ibn Batuta, after visiting his capital in 1346, described Shah as "a distinguished sovereign who loved strangers, particularly the fakirs and sufis.
He is credited to be the founder of independent Sultanate of Bengal, which lasted for about 200 years. His son Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah was his successor and ruled the independent Sultanate from Sonargaon till 1352.
| Preceded by Bahram Khan | Independent Sultan of Bengal 1338–1349 | Succeeded by Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah |
- Sonargaon
- Ibn Batuta
- ^ Muazzam Hussain Khan, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, Banglapedia: The National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Retrieved: 2011-04-23
- ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (2003). The History of Bengal (Volume II): Muslim Period. Delhi: B.R. Publishing. ISBN 81-7646-239-X.
- ^ "About Chittagong:History". Local Government Engineering Department, Government of Bangladesh.Retrieved: 2013-12-30
- ^ Historical Sites needs to be preserved, The Daily Star, September 5, 2009,Retrieved: 2013-12-23
- ^ Ibn Batuta, Famous Bengalis and Related Topics, Retrieved: 2013-12-23
Historical Importance Of Shitalakshya River
The Shitalakhya is a branch of the Brahmaputra which has changed its course at least twice in the Bangladesh region in the fairly recent past, indirectly affecting the flow of water in the Shitalakhya. In the 21st century, the main flow of the Brahmaputra waters is through the Jamuna channel. Earlier, after tracing a curve round the Garo Hills on the west, it took a sharp turn in the south-east direction near Dewanganj, and then passing by Jamalpur and Mymensingh, threw off the Shitalakhya branch and flowed through the eastern part of Dhaka district and fell into the Dhaleshwari. The Shitalakhya ran almost parallel to the Brahmaputra and after passing by Narayanganj joined the Dhaleswari. The course of the Brahmaputra through Dhaka district was deserted by the 18th century when it flowed further east and joined the Meghna near Bhairab. Towards the end of the 18th century the Jamuna channel increased its importance and around 1850 it became the main channel of the Brahmaputra.In Van den Brouck’s map the river is marked as Lecki, flowing west of Barrempooter (Brahmaputra). In Van den Brouck’s time (1660), it was large and swift flowing river. It was so till the early 19th century. There, however, are some reservations about the accuracy of Van den Brouck’s map.
Sonargaon, a former capital of the region, stood on the banks of the Shitalakhhya. A fort was built by Isa Khan, a former ruler of the area, on its banks. It is believed that it was connected with Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka through an underground tunnel. Sonakanda Fort, also on the river, was built to counter Magh and Portuguese pirates. There are several historical mosques on its banks – Bandarshahi mosque (built in 1481 by Baba Saleh), Kadam Rasul mosque (containing the footprints of Hazrat Mohammad), Mariamer masjid (built by Shaista Khan) etc.
The Shitalakshya River was once an important center for the muslin industry. Even today, there are centres of artistic weaving on its banks. There also are a number of industrial units on its banks, including the Adamjee Jute Mills. Thermal power houses are located along the river at Palash (north of Ghorashal) and at Siddhirganj. Industrial affluent dumped into the river resulting in high levels of pollution is a cause for concern.
There is a river port in Narayanganj. Numerous launches move out along the river to different parts of Bangladesh. The government has approved construction of a container terminal on the river Shitalakhya with foreign investment.
- ^ Md Mahbub Murshed (2012). "Shitalakshya River". In Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ^ Majumdar, Dr. R.C., History of Ancient Bengal, First published 1971, Reprint 2005, pp. 3-4, Tulshi Prakashani, Kolkata, ISBN 81-89118-01-3.
- ^ Roy, Niharranjan, Bangalir Itihas, Adi Parba, (Bengali), first published 1972, reprint 2005, p. 86, Dey’s Publishing, 13 Bankim Chatterjee Street, Kolkata, ISBN 81-7079-270-3
- ^ Khokon, Leaquat Hossain, 64 Jela Bhraman, 2007, pp.14-15, Anindya Prokash, Dhaka, ISBN 984-8740-19-8
- ^ "Risk and Water Quality Assessment overview of River Sitalakhya in Bangladesh". Technical College, Bourgas. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ UNB, Dhaka. "Govt okays container terminal on Shitalakhya". The Independent. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
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