The Hussaini Dalan ( bn, হোসেনি দালান, ar, حسیني دلان) is an

Imambara A ḥosayniya or hussainiya (Arabic: حسينية ''husayniyya''), also known as an ashurkhana, imambargah, or imambara, is a congregation hall for Twelver Shia Muslim commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Mourning of M ...

that was originally built during the later half of the Mughal rule in the 17th century 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 ...

. It was built as the Imambara of the

Shia Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

community. Hussaini Dalan serves as the main

Hussainiya A ḥosayniya or hussainiya (Arabic: حسينية ''husayniyya''), also known as an ashurkhana, imambargah, or imambara, is a congregation hall for Twelver Shia Muslim commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Mourning of M ...

of Dhaka, or venue for

majlis ( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...

or gatherings held during the month of

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...

, the tenth day religious gathering commemorates the martyrdom of

Hussain Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "h ...

, the grandson of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

History

According to Taylor (1839),

The principal Mahommedan places of worship are the Edgah and Hossainee Delaun, the latter is said to have been built by a person named Mir Murad, who held the Darogahship of the Nawarrah Mehals, and had charge of the public buildings in the time of Sultan Muhammad Azam.

It was built during the Subedari of Prince Shah Shuja (r. 1639–1647 and 1652–1660), son of Mughal emperor

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

. Although Shuja was a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...

, he patronized Shia institutions too. According to tradition, “Mir Murad had a vision of Imam Hussain erecting a 'taziah khana' or house of

mourning Mourning is the expression of an experience that is the consequence of an event in life involving loss, causing grief, occurring as a result of someone's death, specifically someone who was loved although loss from death is not exclusively ...

which led to the construction of Hussaini Dalan. Raised on the foundations of a former small taziakhana, the building has undergone alterations. During the rule of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

, it was repaired in 1807 and 1810. The original date of construction is still disputed, but Hussaini Dalan in its present form is attributed to Naib Nazim Nusrat Jung, who rebuilt the imambara in 1823. The present

flat roof A flat roof is a roof which is almost level in contrast to the many types of sloped roofs. The slope of a roof is properly known as its pitch and flat roofs have up to approximately 10°. Flat roofs are an ancient form mostly used in arid c ...

was rebuilt by Nawab of Dhaka Sir Khwaja Ahsanuallah Bahadur after the earthquake of 1897, and another verandah was added to the southern side..

Architecture

The main building is situated in the middle of complex, built on an area of about 0.65 Bighas (9,380 sq. ft/ 88.05 sq. meters). In the south touching the building there is a “

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

” having an area of 1.01 Bighas (14,544 sq. ft/ 1376.95 sq meters). This pond is the main attraction of this building which touches the walls of the buildingShiraji, M. M. (2006). ''Hussaini Dalan 2006''. (n.d) retrieved from: www.hussainidalan.com. Built on a raised platform, it is a long rectangular building with four simple, yet elegant, cabins at the corners. An attractively built arched gateway, to the north gives right of entry to the building, while a stonework

water tank A water tank is a container for storing water. Water tanks are used to provide storage of water for use in many applications, drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemi ...

is located directly to the south of the building. The exterior incorporates both Mughal and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

architectural traditions. The south

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

, overlooking the deep-water tank, best illustrates western background, with four columns of

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

supporting the verandah. Mughal characteristics are seen in the attached three-storeyed

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

with arched windows and the row of kanjuras (decorative

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

s) on the roof. The main floor of the building is raised on a platform that has rooms containing

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

s. On the main floor, two large halls known as Shirni hall and Khutba hall are placed back to back to form the nucleus of the building complex. Subsidiary two-storied rooms are on either side of the halls, probably to accommodate a congregation of ladies. And there is a series of three rooms on the east and the west. The side rooms, with the exception of those in the northernmost side room, have galleries on the second storey.

Celebrations

Shia Muslims are a minority in

. During the first 10 days of

, Hussaini Dalan becomes a centre of mourning and religious gathering in old Dhaka. Both the Sunni and the Shia followers join the mourning, usually ending in

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the ...

when a large procession parades through the streets, though mourning continues from 1st day of muharram to 10th of the Islamic month Safar.

Gallery

Image:Left side view of Hoseni Dalan.jpeg, Side view Image:Islamic Calligraphy-2.jpeg, Calligraphy on the walls Image:Rising minaret of Hoseni Dalan.jpeg, Rising minaret Image:Hoseni Dalan North Face Calligraphy by Ragib Hasan.jpg, Islamic Calligraphy on the north face Image:Hoseni Dalan Front face by Ragib Hasan.jpg, Front (north) face Hussaini Dalan (27193260074).jpg, South view Image:Hussaini Dalan at Night.jpg, At Muharram Night

References

* Ahmed, N. (1984). ''Discover the monuments of Bangladesh''. Dhaka: University Press Limited. (pp. 180–181). * Sayed, H. M. (1980). ''Muslim Monuments of Bangladesh''. Dhaka: Islamic Foundation,(p. 58). * Asher, Catherine, B. (1984). ''Inventory of Key Monuments''. Art and Archaeology Research Papers: The Islamic Heritage of Bengal. Paris: UNESCO.(p. 56). * Shiraji, M. M. (2006). ''Hussaini Dalan 2006''. (n.d) Retrieve from: www.hussainidalan.com.

External links

* http://www.Hussainidalan.com/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20140617100240/http://www.hussainidalan.com/en/index.php/about-dalan * https://web.archive.org/web/20140616015611/http://hussainidalan.com/bn/index.php/2013-09-02-17-51-12/%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%80_%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8 (In Bangla) {{Dhakaplaces Old Dhaka Mosques in Dhaka Buildings and structures in Dhaka Shia shrines Islamic architecture Hussainiya Tourist attractions in Dhaka

History

Architecture

Celebrations

Gallery

See also

References

External links