History of Baitul Mukarram Mosque

Baitul Mukarram is the national mosque of Bangladesh located at the heart of Dhaka. The mosque was completed in 1968. Baitul Mukarram Mosque is situated at Purana Paltan, east of the Bangladesh Secretariat and north of Bangabandhu National Stadium. It is the largest mosque in the city and the 10th largest mosque in the world by capacity, three storied and was built after the pattern of the Kaba Sharif.

The mosque is very beautiful with intricate decorations in the interior. It has a long lawn, garden and rows of fountains to the south and east. The mosque is on a very high platform. Lovely flights of stairs lead to it; from the south, east and north. There is a space on the east, which is used for prayer and Eid congregation. The ground floor is a shopping centre.

The construction of the national mosque began on January 27 in 1960, and has been going on in phases. In the late 1950s, Dhaka grew very rapidly. Abdul Latif Ibrahim Bawani first came up with the idea of building a grand mosque with a large capacity. The “Baitul Mukarram Mosque Society” was formed in 1959 to facilitate the project. The land was allocated for the mosque complex at the meeting point of old and new Dhaka. The site was also in close proximity to the central business district of the city.

Architect T Abdul Hussain Thariani was commissioned to design the mosque complex. The plan included shops, offices, libraries and parking areas within the complex.

A mosque without a dome over the roof of its main prayer hall must have been a unique experiment. The Baitul Mukarram Mosque’s building is eight-storied and 99 feet high from the ground level. According to the original plan, the main entrance of the mosque was to be on the eastern side. There is ablution space on its south and north sides.

The absence of a dome on the main building is compensated by the two superficial domed entrance porticoes, one on the south, and the other on the north. The height of these porticoes consists of three rabbit foot-shaped arches, the middle of which is bigger than the rest. Two patios ensure that enough light and air enter the prayer hall of Baitul Mukarram Mosque.

The area of the main prayer hall is 26,517 square feet with a mezzanine floor of 1,840 square feet on the eastern side. The hall is surrounded by verandas on three of its sides. The Mihrab of the hall is rectangular instead of semi-circular. Excessive ornamentation is avoided throughout the mosque since minimizing ornamentation is typical of modern architecture. The Baitul Mukarram mosque is modern in its architectural style.

Baitul Mukarram Masjid has a shopping mall on its ground floor. You can find many important things in this market as it is one of the oldest markets in the city.

Many prominent jewellery houses have their head offices and branches in this market. The other products you can find are mainly religious clothes of Muslim such as kurta shops, cap shops, long cloth and so on. The qualities of these products are considered better than many other markets.

Baitul Mukarram has the likeness to the Holy Kaaba located at Mecca, Qibla of all the Muslim Ummah in the world.

Editorial Desk