Kartalab Khan Mosque
Dhaka, Bangladesh
The five-domed Kartalab Khan Mosque is comparable to the Khan Mirdha Mosque. It is located in Begum bazaar in old Dhaka and was built by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan alias Kartalab Khan, between 1700 and 1704.

The mosque is two-storeyed, the lower level of the west side is divided into storefronts while the east side has a madrasa at the lower level and the prayer area located on the upper level. Internally the mosque is divided into five bays which are marked on the exterior by corresponding domes and blind kiosks delineating the divide between each bay. The unusual placement of a graceful do-chala hut shaped room on its north face, which with its distinctive curvilinear eaves, renders the mosque unique. To the side of the mosque is a stepped well or baoli, the only surviving example of its kind in Bangladesh but common in upper India.

According to available photographs, the original eastern façade of the mosque appears to be concealed behind a verandah that was appended to the mosque's entrance façade. This expansion accommodated a growing congregation by expanding the capacity of the mosque. It seems that an entry tower (minar), done in an eclectic style, was added when the verandah was constructed to indicate the entrance to the prayer level.
Source:

Ahmed, Nazimuddin. 1984. Discover the monuments of Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Press Limited, 179.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Associated Collections
Events
Constructed 1700-1704/1111-1116 AH
Style Periods
1526-1858
Building Usages
religious