Baitul Mukarram, also spelled as Baytul Mukarrom ( ar, بيت المكرّم, bn, বায়তুল মোকাররম; ), is the

National Mosque This is an incomplete list of some of the more famous mosques around the world. List See also * Islamic architecture * List of largest mosques * List of the oldest mosques in the world ** List of mosques that are mentioned by name in the Q ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. Located at the center of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, capital of Bangladesh, the

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

was completed in 1968.Thariani and Co: Architects and Engineers. Booklet in section under projects completed "mosques". It has a capacity of 42,000+.

History

An architect's view of Baitul Mukarram, Dhaka

The mosque complex was designed by architect, Abdulhusein M. Thariani. In a meeting held at his house on 27 April 1959, owner of then Bawani Jute Mills, Abdul Latif Ibrahim Bawani invited GA Madani, Haji Abdul Latif Bawani, MH Adamji, S Sattar, Muhammad Sadiq, AZN Rezai Karim and Major Umrao Khan. In that meeting he proposed to Major General Umrao Khan, then military administrator of East Pakistan, of building a grande mosque in Dhaka. Umrao Khan agreed to help on building such mosque. Same year, 'Baitul Mukarram mosque committee' had been established and 8.30 acre of land between new Dhaka and old Dhaka had been chosen. At that time, there was a large pond in present mosque's location. It was known as 'Paltan pond. The pond was filled up and on 27 January 1960 then president of Pakistan

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

commenced the work. Pray for first time took place on Friday, 25 January 1963. On 28 March 1975, the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

entrusted the management of the mosque to the

Islamic Foundation Bangladesh Islamic Foundation Bangladesh ( bn, ইসলামিক ফাউন্ডেশন বাংলাদেশ) is a government organization under the '' Ministry of Religious Affairs'' in Bangladesh working to disseminate values and ideals of Isl ...

. The plan included shops, offices, libraries and parking areas within the complex. Though there has been a tradition of dome mosque for Muslim, this building did not maintain the rule of traditional mosque in that time. A Mosque without a dome over the roof of its main prayer hall must have been a unique experiment. The mosque was built when the country was the Part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. in 2008 the mosque was extended, financed by a donation from the Saudi government.

Architecture

Friday Prayer at Baitul Mukarram Mosque 03

The mosque has several modern architectural features whilst at the same time it preserves the traditional principles of Mughal architecture which has for some time been dominant in the Indian sub-continent. Baitul Mukarram's large cube shape was modeled after that of the

Ka'abah The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

making it a noticeable structure unlike any other mosque in Bangladesh.

Exterior design

The mosque is on a very high platform. The Baitul Mukarram National Mosque's building is eight storied and 99 feet high from the ground level. According to the original plan, the main entrance of the mosque was to be on the eastern side. The 'shaan' on the east is 29,000 square feet with ablution space on its south and north sides. Ablution or Wu’du Place cached an important part when the Baitul Mukarram was begun. The absence of a dome on the main building is compensated by the two superficial domed entrance porticoes, one on the south, and the other on the north. The height of these porticoes consists of three

rabbit's foot In some cultures, the foot of a rabbit is carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck. This belief is held by individuals in a great number of places around the world, including Europe, China, Africa, and North and South America. In variatio ...

shaped arches, the middle of which is bigger than the rest.

Interior design

Two patios (roofless inner courtyard) ensure that enough light and air enter the prayer hall of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. The prayer niché of the hall is rectangular instead of semi-circular. Excessive ornamentation is avoided throughout the mosque, since minimizing ornamentation is typical of modern architecture.

Garden

The garden is laid out in a style borrowed heavily from

Mughal gardens Mughal gardens are a type of garden built by the Mughals. This style was influenced by the Persian gardens particularly the Charbagh structure, which is intended to create a representation of an earthly utopia in which humans co-exist in perfe ...

, however unlike the traditional Mughal gardens which represent the Islamic Heaven, the garden does not have the Char-Bagh system most likely due to not having enough room for such a garden. The future of this garden is unknown, if the Bangladeshi government extends the mosque, it will most likely have to remove the garden.

Khatibs

Gallery

File:Baitul_Mukarram_National_Mosque_main_entrance_%26_Minaret.jpg , Main entrance and Minaret File:New ceiling.JPG, Newly built ceiling File:A portion of Baitul Mukarram (15282186851).jpg, New extension of the mosque File:Baitul_Mukarram_National_Mosque_Interior_(mehrab_%26_mimbar).jpg, The mosque's interior (

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

and

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

) File:Baitul_Mukarram_National_Mosque_(domed_entrance_porticoes).jpg, Domed entrance porticoes File:Baitul_Mukarram_National_Mosque_Mimba.jpg, The mihrab File:Baitul_Mukarram_National_Mosque%27s_prayer_place_for_the_Imam_(left_side_of_the_minbar).jpg , Prayer place for the imam (to the left of the minbar) File:Baitul_Mukarram_National_Mosque_Interior_(lower_angel).jpg , Interior (lower angle)

References

External links

Baitul Mukarram the National Mosque of Bangladesh

Baitul Mukarram National Mosque
{{Dhakaplaces Mosques in Dhaka National symbols of Bangladesh Mosques completed in 1968 1968 establishments in East Pakistan History of East Pakistan 20th-century establishments in Bangladesh Mosques in Bangladesh