Best known of the monuments found in Bagerhat, this brick building is the largest historic mosque in Bangladesh. It measures 160' x 108' and is believed to have been erected by Khan Jahan Ali. The brick walls are unusually thick and slightly tapered. Tapered walls are typical of the Tughlaq style of Muslim architecture at Delhi and are not found in any other building in Bengal. Shait Gumbad or the mosque with 60 domes actually consists of seventy-seven low squat domes, seven of which, in the middle row, are chauchala Bengali domes. The interior is divided into seven longitudinal aisles and eleven deep bays by slender stone columns that culminate in rows of arches that support the roof. Sixty stone pillars that support the roof creates the impression of a forest of pillars in the interior.
The mosque is the earliest known example of a structure with a bangla or hut-shaped roofline in this part of the subcontinent. It anticipates the style of the better-known monuments like Chhota Sona Masjid in Gaur.
Excluding the western wall, all sides are arcaded. These arched openings follow a pattern of bays and pillar divisions. The western fa�ade, the qibla wall has only a small opening to provide access for the prayer leader.
A small triangular pediment marks the entrance. Tapering brick turrets emphasizes the corners. The two turrets on the front or eastern side contain circular staircases from which the call to prayers was given. These two turrets have undergone restoration and are no longer tapered.
Sources:
Sanday, John. 1983. Bangladesh: Building Conservation and Repair. Paris: UNESCO. UNESCO.
Ahmed, Nazimuddin. 1980. Islamic Heritage of Bangladesh. Dacca: Padma Printers, 44.
"Shait Gumbad". World Monuments Fund Panographies. http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/bd/bagerhat/shaitGumbad_out.html. [Accessed February 2, 2006]
| 
Legal Notes
Contact ArchNet