A new mosque in Bangladesh has become the center of public attraction from all around the South Asian Muslim country thanks to its unique Mughal architectural style, The Rahnuma reported on June 16.
“My village South Pathalia was an unknown place. But now many people from home and abroad come here to witness the beauty of the mosque and on every holiday around 10,000 people visit it,” said Rafiqul Islam who built the mosque.
The ‘201-Dome Mosque’, as it’s named, is built on the bank of Jhinai River in South Pathalia, Tangail some 140 km from the capital city Dhaka. The Muslim worship house can hold about 30,000 worshippers at a time.
The construction work on the mosque began in January 2013 when Islam donated five acres of his ancestral land for the project. He then launched ‘Rafiqul Islam Trust’ where donors and villagers collected a sum of $13 million for the construction process.
“It was a dream project for me, which I started with only $20,000. Later on, many of the Bengali philanthropists extended support in building the mosque and the construction work wasn’t stopped even for an hour,” Islam said.
Uniqueness Aspects
The mosque’s South Asian Islamic architectural uniqueness has caught not only the attention of public or locals, but also the appreciation of Guinness World Records which has recognized its 140m-minaret as the tallest concrete minaret in the world.
The tall minaret is equivalent to the height of a 55-story building. Moreover, there is a sum of 201 domes, the tallest of which is 24-m high and the surrounding ones are 13-m high.
To make the mosque unique, Islam visited many world-famous mosques to develop the primary idea. Later on, he shared his experience with a Bangladeshi architect to visualize the design of the mosque.
In addition to being a helipad for the convenience of international tourists. The mosque is planned to include an orphanage, Retirement home and a charity hospital for women.
“I designed the domes in line with the South Asian Mughal traditional base of Islamic structures. The south and north sides of the mosque are kept open to have plenty of light and natural air,” informed Mrinmoy Adhikary, the lead architect of the mosque.
Moreover, “Inside the mosque, worshippers can recite all the verses of Qur’an which have been inscribed on brass and installed on the mosque wall,” he continued.
Islam informed that “Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the inaugural ceremony of the mosque next January or February. And the Grand Imam of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah will also attend the inaugural ceremony and lead the first official prayer of the mosque”.