Binot Bibi Mosque is the earliest surviving mosque in

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 i ...

built in 1454 by Bakht Binat, the daughter of Marhamat. It was built during the rule of the Sultan of Bengal, Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (1435–1459). Binat Bibi Mosque is the earliest surviving

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, ...

built in 1454 by Bakht Binat, the daughter of Marhamat. The mosque is located beside the Hayat Bepari’s Bridge in Narinda area. The

is a square, single domed measuring 12 feet (3.7 m) square internally with a single hemispherical dome, at the top of the square room. Entrances are from east, north and south. Pre-Mughal features included the curved cornices and battlements, corner octagonal turrets, and arches on the south, north and eastern sides. The ornamentation is modest and the building is coated with plaster. Part of the mosque is being demolished as part of a renovation plan which includes building a 70-foot (21 m) high minaret, and the extension of the current building from three stories to seven.

Structure

The mosque is a square, single domed mosque measuring square internally with a single hemispherical dome atop the square room. Entrances are from east, north and south. Pre- Mughal features included the curved cornices and

battlements A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

, corner octagonal turrets, and arches on the south, north and eastern sides. The ornamentation is modest and the building is coated with

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

. There is a stone inscription of the mosque written in Farsi (Persian) which is located on the north of the mosque where Binat Bakht is buried. The wall thickness is approximately 1.82m. The mihrab had a projection at the back of the west wall. The single dome mosque over time was turned into a rectangular shape by breaking down the southern wall and extending to the south. Further a new dome was added around 1932. In 1962, towards the western side a new mihrab was built. With time the original pre-Mughal features were changed, the outer façade of the western veranda, the northern wall, the dome and the side walls of the waterbody were decorated with traditional vernacular ''chinitukri'' work (ceramic or glass shard tiling). The renovated walls didn't have the original structure thickness hence the existing structure can be identified. Currently the only pre-Mughal features are the inscription, the eastern wall, the northern wall, the original dome, and the curved cornice.

Current state

Part of the mosque is being demolished as part of a renovation plan which includes building a high minaret, and the extension of the current building from three stories to seven.

Gallery

File:Beautiful Blue Minaret of Binat Bibi mosque, Gandaria, Photographer, Pratyay Hasan.jpg, Blue minaret of the Binat Bibi Mosque (2020, Pratyay Hasan) File:Beautiful Blue Minaret of Binat Bibi mosque, Gandaria 2.jpg, Blue minaret of the Binat Bibi Mosque

References

External links

City's heritage buildings
{{Mosques in Bangladesh 1454 establishments in Asia 15th-century mosques Mosques in Dhaka Religious buildings and structures completed in 1454

Structure

Current state

Gallery

See also

References

External links