Ranbijoypur MosqueBagerhat, Bangladesh
This single-domed mosque is locally considered to be contemporary with Khan Jahan Ali style mosques of Khalifatabad, present date Bagerhat, Bangladesh. Based on architectural style the date of construction can be estimated to be mid-fifteenth century (K. Alamgir).
The Ranabijoypur Mosque is a Sultanate mosque that is has a square structure crowned with a single-dome. The mosque is situated at north of the Khan Jahan Ali’s Tomb Complex and aligned with the tomb.
The mosque is a square of 59'10" x 59'10" externally while internally it has a square plan of 35'4" x 35'4". The structure is a single chamber, roofed over by a hemispherical dome. The eastern, northern and southern façades have three arched openings to the prayer hall. All the nine domes are internally carried on by four intersecting arches springing from stone pillars and brick pilasters attached to the side walls. There are three mihrabs, each aligned with the three entrances at east and the central portion of the qibla wall is projected westward from the ground to the roof. Stylistically this kind is known as Khan Jahan Ali architecture, commonly found in and around south-western part of Bangladesh.
The square structure is buttressed by four massive corner circular turrets. These turrets end at the level of parapet walls and ribbed in typical Bengali Sultanate fashion. The façades are capped by curvilinear cornices of pre-Mughal type. Exterior façades are of plain brick texture with framed arched opening with horizontal rows of terracotta designs. The central entrance is larger than the side ones which are slightly narrower and dwarfish. There are three terracotta mihrabs in the qibla wall; the central one is larger and the flanking ones narrower and dwarfish similar to the front façade. All three mihrabs are flanked by small pillars with terracotta at the base and at the capital (K. Alamgir).
The mosque was partly restored and repaired by the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh, and is now a protected monument.
Sources:
Asher, C. B. Inventory of Key Monuments. In The Islamic Heritage of Bengal, George Michell, editor. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1984.
Hasan, P. Sultans and Mosques: The Early Muslim Architecture of Bangladesh. London: I. B. Tauris, 2007.
Islam, I., and Noblea, A. Mosque Architecture in Bangladesh: The Archetype and Its Changing Morphology. Journal of Cultural Geography, 17(2), 5-25, 1998.
This single-domed mosque is locally considered to be contemporary with Khan Jahan Ali style mosques of Khalifatabad, present date Bagerhat, Bangladesh. Based on architectural style the date of construction can be estimated to be mid-fifteenth century (K. Alamgir).
The Ranabijoypur Mosque is a Sultanate mosque that is has a square structure crowned with a single-dome. The mosque is situated at north of the Khan Jahan Ali’s Tomb Complex and aligned with the tomb.
The mosque is a square of 59'10" x 59'10" externally while internally it has a square plan of 35'4" x 35'4". The structure is a single chamber, roofed over by a hemispherical dome. The eastern, northern and southern façades have three arched openings to the prayer hall. All the nine domes are internally carried on by four intersecting arches springing from stone pillars and brick pilasters attached to the side walls. There are three mihrabs, each aligned with the three entrances at east and the central portion of the qibla wall is projected westward from the ground to the roof. Stylistically this kind is known as Khan Jahan Ali architecture, commonly found in and around south-western part of Bangladesh.
The square structure is buttressed by four massive corner circular turrets. These turrets end at the level of parapet walls and ribbed in typical Bengali Sultanate fashion. The façades are capped by curvilinear cornices of pre-Mughal type. Exterior façades are of plain brick texture with framed arched opening with horizontal rows of terracotta designs. The central entrance is larger than the side ones which are slightly narrower and dwarfish. There are three terracotta mihrabs in the qibla wall; the central one is larger and the flanking ones narrower and dwarfish similar to the front façade. All three mihrabs are flanked by small pillars with terracotta at the base and at the capital (K. Alamgir).
The mosque was partly restored and repaired by the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh, and is now a protected monument.
Sources:
Asher, C. B. Inventory of Key Monuments. In The Islamic Heritage of Bengal, George Michell, editor. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1984.
Hasan, P. Sultans and Mosques: The Early Muslim Architecture of Bangladesh. London: I. B. Tauris, 2007.
Islam, I., and Noblea, A. Mosque Architecture in Bangladesh: The Archetype and Its Changing Morphology. Journal of Cultural Geography, 17(2), 5-25, 1998.