Shaista Khan Mosque ( bn, শায়েস্তা খাঁর মসজিদ) is a historically significant architectural monument situated by the

Buriganga River The Buriganga River ( bn, বুড়িগঙ্গা, ''Buŗigônga'', ) is a river in Bangladesh which flows past the southwest outskirts of the capital city, Dhaka. Its average depth is and its maximum depth is . It ranks among the most ...

at Mitford Area in

old Dhaka Old Dhaka ( bn, পুরান ঢাকা, Puran Dhaka) is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar ( bn, জাহাঙ্গীরনগ� ...

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 ...

. 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, ...

is an architecture of

Mughal period The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. The mosque was built by Mughal Subahdar of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

Shaista Khan Mirza Abu Talib (22 November 1600 – 1694), better known as Shaista Khan, was a general and the subahdar of Mughal Bengal. A maternal uncle to the emperor Aurangzeb, he acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan initially governed ...

History

Subahdar Shaista Khan built this small mosque at the bank of river Buriganga. Shaista Khan was the Mughal subahdar who ruled the

from 1664 to 1688. The exact date of the building of this mosque is not known, but it is assumed that it was built when Subahdar Shaista Khan first came to

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 ...

in 1664. It is supposed to be built between 1663 and 1678, the first viceroyalty of Khan.Muntassir Mamoon, ''Dhaka: Smriti Bismritir Nagari (1st Khandha)'', 2008, Ananya publisher, , pg-258 During the British period the mosque was seriously damaged by an accidental fire. Recently the mosque has been repaired and has lost its original look. An old inscription in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

fixed over the doorway still stands today, declaring that Shaista Khan erected the mosque. Other details including the dates are unclear.

Architecture

The mosque is 14.13m x 7.62m in dimension. The mosque has three domes and four octagonal towers. The central dome is larger than the others. It has three doors in east side and one each on north and south sides. All the door are arched.

Present condition

At present this three domed mosque is still structurally strong and it is lost among the huge structure of Mitford hospital. Though it is ill-treated by the local people it bears a significant sign of the age of Shaista Khan. The original look of the mosque has vanished. The ornamental works of surface is now plastered and painted green.

References

Mosques in Dhaka Mughal mosques {{bangladesh-mosque-stub

History

Architecture

Present condition

See also

References