Table of Content

Topic Page No.

1. Introduction 4

2. Location & Origin of the name 5

3. Plan & Description of Shat Gambuj 6

Mosque
4. Architectural Importance 7

5. Historical Importance 8

6. Significance and Importance of Shat 9

Gombuj Mosque
7. Function of Shat Gambuj Mosque 9

8. Present situation of Shat Gambuj 10

Mosque
9. How Shat Gambuj Mosque can be a 11
center of Tourism
10. Reference 13

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 Introduction

Shatgumbad Mosque is the largest of the Sultanate mosques in Bangladesh and one of the most
impressive Muslim monuments in the whole of the Indian subcontinent.In mid-15th century, a
Muslim colony was founded in the inhospitable mangrove forest of the Sundarbans near the
seacoast in the Bagerhat district by an obscure saint-General, named Ulugh Khan Jahan. He was
the earliest torch bearer of Islam in the South who laid the nucleus of an affluent city during the
reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (1442-59), then known as ‘Khalifabad’ (present
Bagerhat). Khan Jahan adorned his city with numerous mosques, tanks, roads and other public
buildings, the spectacular ruins of which are focused around the most imposing and largest
multidomed mosques in Bangladesh, known as the Shait-Gumbad Masjid (160’X108′). The
stately fabric of the monument, serene and imposing, stands on the eastern bank of an unusually
vast sweet-water tank, clustered around by the heavy foliage of a low-laying countryside,
characteristic of a sea-coast landscape.

So in the year 1459 the great Azam Ulugh Khan Jahan established this mosque, which called
Shat Gambuj Mosjid. In Bengali Shat means the number 60. Though it is called Shat Gambuj
Mosjid, actually the numbers of Gamboj in the mosque are 81. The mosque roofed over with 77
squat domes, including 7 chauchala or four-sided pitched Bengali domes in the middle row.The
vast prayer hall, although provided with 11 arched doorways on east and 7 each on north and

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south for ventilation and light, presents a dark and somber appearance inside. It is divided into 7
longitudinal aisles and 11 deep bays by a forest of slender stone columns, from which springs
rows of endless arches, supporting the domes. Six feet thick, slightly tapering walls and hollow
and round, almost detached corner towers, resembling the bastions of fortress, each capped by
small rounded cupolas, recall the Tughlaq architecture of Delhi. The general appearance of this
noble monument with its stark simplicity but massive character reflects the strength and
simplicity of the builder. This mosque is 160 ft long and 108 ft. in its width. This is one of the
most beautiful archeological and historical Mosque in Bangladesh made by red burn mud. Such a
magnificent building turned into miserably decaying condition with the passage of time. It is
however fortunate that the British government initiated measures for its restoration and repair
and the process continued under the direct supervision of the successive Departments of
Archaeology of Pakistan and Bangladesh. In the early 1980s an effective long-term programme
was undertaken to safeguard this historical monument at the instance of UNESCO, and the work
is nearing completion. The archeological beauty of this Mosque enchants the tourist till now.
Besides this Mosque an archeological museum is there where you can find that times
archeological and historical materials.

Origin of the name of Shat Gombuj Mosque

 Literally the term 'Shatgumbad' means sixty domes but in reality the mosque has eighty one
domes in total seventy seven over the roof and four smaller ones over the four corner towers.
Two suggestions may be made in this regard. Firstly, the seven chau-chala vaults over the central
nave might have given the building the name of Satgumbad (Sat = seven and gumbad means
dome), which in course of time has possibly been transformed into Shatgumbad. Secondly, the
sixty pillars, which support the huge domed-roof above, might also have originally given the
mosque the name of 'Shat Khumbaz' (That means sixty and khumbaz means pillar). It is not
unlikely that the word Khumbaz has subsequently been corrupted into gumbad to give the
building the popular name of 'Shatgumbad'. Of the two suggestions the latter seems to be more
probable.

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 Location

It is located in Bagerhat district in southern Bangladesh which is in Khulna Division. It is about 3

miles far from the main town of Bagerhat. Bagerhat is nearly 200 miles away from Dhaka which
is the capital of Bangladesh.

Plan and Description of Shat Gambuj Mosque

The mosque is locally known as the 'Shat Gombuj Masjid', which in English means Sixty Domed
Mosque. However, there are about 77 domes over the main hall and exactly 60 stone pillars. It is
probable that the mosque was originally referred to as the Sixty Pillared Mosque. Then later got
convert into Gombuj Mosque in Bangla, which means domes. In the central commotion the
mosque has 77 squat domes with 7 four-sided pitched Bengali domes. The huge prayer hall, even
though provided with 11 round doorways on east and 7 each on north and south for airing and
light, presents a dim and muted appearance inside. It is divided into 7 longitudinal aisles and 11
deep bays by a forest of 60 slender stone columns, from which springs rows of endless arches,
supporting the domes. Six feet thick, slightly tapering walls and hollow and round, almost

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detached corner towers, resembling the bastions of fortress, each capped by small rounded
cupolas, recall the Tughlaq architecture of Delhi. The mosque epitomizes delightful
archeological attractiveness which was the sign in the 15th century. It is a massive Moghul
architectural site covering area of 160×108 square feet. It is predicted that before 1459 an utmost
follower of Islam whose name was Jahan Ali established this mosque. He was also popular as the
originator of Bagerhat district.

 Enclosed originally by an outer wall, the mosque is located on the eastern bank of the
Ghoradighi, about three miles west of the present Bagerhat town.

Shatgumbad Mosque plan

The enclosed compound was originally entered through two gateways one in the east, now
restored and repaired, and the other in the north, no longer extant. The eastern gateway, facing
cardinally the central archway of the mosque proper, appears to be a monument by itself. It
measures 7.92m by 2.44m and consists of an archway having a span of about 2.44m with a
beautiful curvature on top.

The mosque proper, built mainly of bricks, forms a vast rectangle and measures externally,
inclusive of the massive two-storied towers on the angles, 48.77m from north to south and
32.92m from east to west. The interior of the mosque could be entered through arched doorways
- eleven on the east, seven on each of the north and south walls and only one on the west wall,

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which is placed at the western end of the bay immediately to the north of the large central nave.
The interior of the mosque, 43.89m by 26.82m, is divided by six rows of pillars into seven
longitudinal aisles from north to south and eleven bays running east to west. Each of the eleven
bays, excepting that immediately to the north of the central one, ends with a semi-circular mihrab
niche at the qibla wall. The mosque has therefore a total of ten mihrabs. The central mihrab,
which corresponds to the central nave, is bigger than its flanking counterparts and shows a
rectangular projection on the outer side, carried up to roof level.

The doorway arches of the building are of the two-centred pointed type and spring from the waist
of the walls. All the archways of the eastern facade, the central one of the north and south walls
and the single one of the qibla wall are set within slightly recessed rectangles. The rest of the
archways are formed of two successive arches, the inner one being slightly bigger than the outer
one. The outer surface of the walls, except the eastern wall, is variegated with vertical offset
projections and double recesses. The battlements and cornices of the building are curved. But
unlike the usual curvilinear form, the cornice in the eastern facade depicts a peculiar triangular
pediment over the central archway a device that reappeared in the sadi mosque (1652) at
egarasindhur in kishoreganj.

Shatgumbad Mosque, Begerhat

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The four circular towers on the exterior angles are massive and taper slightly towards the top. An
open-arched chamber tops each of these towers, rising high above roof level, with a small dome
as the crown. The upper chamber of the two front towers has four cardinally set arched windows,
while those of the two at the back have only a pair - one on the south and the other on the north.
The windows of the rear towers are not exactly in the same axis. It is worth mentioning that each
of the two front towers contains inside a spiral staircase of 26 steps, which leads to the arched
chamber above. The doorway to the staircase can be approached only from within the mosque.
Both the doorways have recently been closed by brick filling. Unlike these two front towers, the
rear towers are solid up to the roof level and their arched chambers above could only be reached
from the roof of the mosque.  

The most attractive part of the mosque is its large central nave, running east to west in a
longitudinal line. This nave, consisting of seven independent oblong bays about 4.88m x 3.96m
each, divides the interior of the mosque into two equal wings and opens out to north and south by
pointed archways. The side wings are divided into square bays, numbering seventy in total. The
square bays of the side wings, each measuring 3.96m on each side, are covered with inverted
cup-shaped domes, while the oblong bays of the central nave are roofed over with chau-chala
vaults. These vaults and cup-shaped domes are carried on intersecting arches springing from the
pillars, and the corners between the arches are filled with characteristic Bengali pendentives. The
building thus exhibits eighty-one domes in total - four on the corner towers, seventy over the side
wings and seven chau-chala vaults over the central nave.The huge multi-domed roof of the
building has been supported by ten rows of pillars, six in each row, running from east to west.
The mosque has therefore a total of sixty pillars, the majority of whom were of slender stone,
while six were massive, encased either with bricks or sized stone blocks and appear to be
original. All the stone pillars, formed of two or three stone pieces one above the other and tightly
joined together by a system of plug-holes and iron-craps, must also have been originally massive,
with brick or stone casings. The slender stone pillars, depicting square capitals and pedestals
with octagonal shafts, have recently been restored to their original shape by an outer veneer of
bricks.The mosque, as recorded by J Westland (1874), was once provided inside with two low
brick platforms - one near the central mihrab and the other at the eastern end of the bay close to
the north of the central nave. Both these platforms have now disappeared. The platforms, if they
originally existed, must have served some purposes, to be explained a little later.

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 Significance and Importance of Shat Gombuj Mosque

Shat Gambuj Mosque is the biggest of the Sultanate mosques in Bangladesh and a standout
amongst the greatest Muslim landmarks in the entire of the Indian subcontinent. It is attributed to
one Khan Al-Azam Ulugh Khan Jahan, who vanquished most of southern Bengal and named the
zone khalifatabad to pay tribute to the prevailing Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud shah (1435-59).
Initially, the memorable Mosque City was known as 'Khalifatabad'. It is arranged at the edges of
Bagerhat town not extremely distant from the thick mangrove woods of the Sundarbans.

Khalifatabad was a Muslim province. It was established by the Turkish general, a holy person
warrior Ulugh Khan Jahan in the 15th century. The framework of the city uncovers critical
specialized aptitudes in numerous mosques and also early Islamic landmarks. Prepared blocks
were utilized for the development of structures. The arranging of the city was unmistakably ruled
by Islamic engineering and the enhancements were a blend of Mughal and Turkish design.

Khan Jahan fabricated system of streets, spans, open structures and supplies to make the city
tenable. There were around 360 mosques in the city. Among them the most striking is the multi-
domed Shat Gambuj Mosque. The mosque is interesting as in it has 60 columns that help the
rooftop, with 77 low stature vaults. The 4 towers at 4 corners have littler vaults on the rooftop
also. The tremendous supplication corridor has 11 curved entryways on the east and 7 each on
the north and south for light and ventilation. It has 7 passageways running along the length of the
mosque and 11 profound bend between the slim stone sections. These segments bolster the
bending curves made by the arches. The thickness of the curves is 6 feet and have marginally
narrowing empty and round divider. The west divider inside has 11 'mihrabs' (specialty in
mosque pointing towards Makkah). These mihrabs are enriched with stonework and
earthenware. The floor of the mosque is made of block. Other than being utilized as a prayer hall,
Khan Jahan utilized the mosque as his court as well. Today, it is one of the best vacation spots
and one of the design wonders of Bangladesh.

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 Architectural Importance

For centuries the very fertile soil of Bengal has developed a number of independent styles in its
deferent regions. Among them the Khan-e-Jahan style stands out with its own Identity in the
southern Sundarbans area. The architectural outcome of this Style In and around the
Khalifatabad city. Bagerhat bears the semantic and symbolic inner structure of reasoning
Systems of the builder the austere ideals of a religious leader. The necessary functionality on a
marshy frontier region, the impressions of a jungle life and moreover the hostile nature of the
climatic conditions titles are the determinants that defined the structure of these Architectural
monuments and its place in Bengal culture. The study reveals these underlying forces that
constitute the Architecture of the Khan-e-Jahan Style, The style was nourished from the very
contextual realities that the builder has faced during his development endeavors. As a member of
a full Grown these Monuments are very sympathetic to its geo-climatic context and have
developed a number of unique techniques and systems to meet the situations. The extreme
austere appearance of the brick monuments, the relatively dwarf looking reduced voids or
openings on the facades and evolutionary development of independent to complex organization
marks the identifying Characters of this style along with them the use of curved cornice. The
placement of stone Course at the base, the terracotta string-motifs and the water drainage system
all these are directed towards a common goal, that is to continue longer with minimum resource
in a very antagonistic contextual setting. Through this struggle of existence the Style gained
Strength not only to sustain but also to grow and Influence the later architectural developments
in a considerable extent. The Influence of Architecture of Khan-e-Jahan Style is felt far beyond
the boundaries of the Bagerhat area, Masjid Bari mosque Patuakhali and Hamad’s Mosque at
Kumira are two finest examples of such influences. The most mentionable and the noblest
influence of this Style is the introduction of chouchala roof. This study can also be considered as
a guideline for the conservation of the monuments under the Khan-e-Jahan Style the guidelines
are drawn not from the apparent outlooks but from the deeper meaning of the Architecture of
Khan-e-Jahan Style that means rooted in both spiritual and physical conceptualities. The
planning of the city is distinctly dominated by Islamic architecture style; in particular, the
embellishments are a combination of Mughal and Turkish architectural styles. The material used
in building construction was baked bricks, which over the centuries deteriorated under saline

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conditions of the soil and the atmosphere. The layout, revealed after the recent removal of the
vegetative growth around the historic city, indicates that the city developed in two distinct zones.
The main zone is the Mosque of Shat Gombuj and its precincts and the other zone to its east is
the one encircling the Mausoleum of Khan Jahan. The two zones are separated by a distance of
6.5 kilometers. The minarets embellish the front corners of the mosques. They stand at double
the height of the facade. The towers at the rear corners are also similarly fashioned. The minarets
are double storied and round in shape, projecting cornices surround the shafts up to the middle
height of the minarets and a window fitted at this mid height provides ventilation and light. A
spiral staircase in this minar leads to the top. Artificial tusks of elephants decorate the exterior of
the minarets. These are the most significant things in the history of Bengal and it symbols the
tradition and the nature of Bengal during the ancient period.

Historical Importance

The Shat Gombuj Mosque which is wonderfully decorated and the biggest oblongated (48.80
meter: 32.95 meter) mosque in Bangladesh has been established in the fifteenth century. In this
decoration, the walls are built with Terracotta and decorated with beautiful spinach which has
increased the beauty of this mosque. This mosque is one of the ancient mosque in the world and
covers the historical importance of the ancient period of Bangladesh. This is one of the biggest
tourist spot in Bangladesh. Lots of people from the different places from Bangladesh and from
the other countries visit here every day to be the witness of the beautiful history of the ancient
Bengal. The mosque is decorated in a unique way that is fascinating. The walls of the mosque
are the symbol and the part of the ancient periods. The writings, notes, design and the type of old
bricks define the nature of the people of Bengal on that period. The mosque indicates that how
fancy and pious was the builder of that mosque. The mosque also indicates that the ruler was
Muslim who tried his best to promote Islam among people during his region. So, Shat Gombuj
Mosque is one the most valuable archaeological artifact which carries lots of memories of 15th
century and history of ancient Bengal.

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 Function of Shat Gambuj Mosque

The sixty-dome mosque is located in the Sundarganjona village, which is just 7 kilometers away
from the city of Bagerhat in Bangladesh, on the north side of the Khulna-Bagerhat highway,
sixty-five buses. There is mainly no engraving on the mosque. So there isn’t any exact
information about the creation at any time. But it is almost certain that Jahan Ali built this
mosque. Lots of money was being spent to prepare the mosque. And it also took a great amount
of time to prepare the mosque. The mosque is about 160 feet outside the northern northeast and
about 143 feet in the inside and about 104 feet outside the east side and about 88 feet wide in the
interior. The walls are about 8 feet 5 feet in the south-west of the country. Back in 1983 the
mosque was rewarded as World heritage sites by UNESCO. And because of this mosque
Bagerhat has become three top most famous cities of Bangladesh. The price of the tickets to visit
the mosque is twenty T.K. But Children below five won’t need any ticket to visit the mosque.
For any foreign visitor, the ticket price is two hundred taka. During the summer the fort remains
open from 10am to 6pm. There is a lunch break from 1.00-1.30 pm. So no visitor is allowed
during that time. And during winter it remains open from 9am to 5pm.

Present Situation of Shat Gambuj Mosque

Shat Gambuj Mosque is now declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. At present UNESCO
is taking care of the mosque. This mosque has three people at the authority, one main Imam and
two khadems. There is no authority tem for the mosque that’s why these three people work under
UNESCO.

Previously a barricade of brick wall was built surrounding each pillar. But then back to 2015
UNESCO decided to break those walls. They did it because they wanted to keep it as its raw
structure.

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Throughout our research we found some recommendations for Shat Gambuj Mosque according
to their present situation-

 A proper formed authority team is needed immediately

 That team must consist of Historians, architects and Islam expertise.
 That team must have foreign and native members because it is not only an asset for our
country, but also for whole world.

How Shat Gambuj Mosque can be a center of Tourism

Though Shat Gambuj Mosque is UNESCO World Heritage Site but still this mosque is not
that much popular among tourists. Reason behind this is the mosque is not properly promoted
among the tourists.

Though we are a small country but we have a good amount of tourists. According to
statistics, Bangladesh have second largest amount of business tourists. Besides we have
travelers, educational tourists and others. As Bangladesh is one of the large Muslim
population country, many people also visits for religious purposes. Besides this Bangladesh
has a large number of native tourists also.

There are some strategies before promotional activities-

 We must promote other heritage sites around the area. Like- there are also some small
mosque around that place. Tourists would not be attracted if there is a single place to
visit.
 We must also assure that the tourists must receive good transportation,
communication and residence. That’s why we must invest or bring investors for good
hotels and food corners. Roads and network must be improved.
 Tourist guides must be available and the safety of the tourists must be assured. For
that a ‘Tourist guide training center’ can be opened and students can be assigned as
part time workers. Thus a social balance would be created.

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  A business center can be built up which will benefit both the tourists and native
people. Such as- markets, shopping mall. Where tourists can buy local products and
local people can earn through this business.
 Should mostly focus on online promotions. For that we should build official website
which yet is not built. There are some more website which can be used, such as-
Facebook, Instragram, and YouTube etc.

To attract the tourists we have a promotional plan for Shat Gambuj Mosque-

a. Printing media promotions:

We are planning to publish a book on the history and architecture of Shat Gambuj
Mosque and surrounding areas named ‘Shat Gambuj Mosque: a pride of Bangla’ and
both is Bengali and English. We will publish the book on behalf of the Mosque
community and earned money will be invested for the betterment of the mosque.
b. Broadcast media promotions:
We will make an advertisement promo video there we are willing to use all the attractive
digital methods so that tourists mainly young generation will be attracted to visit the
place. In that video we’ll add a short history of the mosque. We’ll broadcast it in the
Television channels and online media through internet.
c. Social media promotions:
Now people are more active I social media. People are greatly motivated to visit a place
through social media. We must do strong promotional activities in these places so that the
promotion can reach to more and more people.

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 Conclusion:

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 Reference

1. YouTube. (2016). Shat Gambuj Mosque History In Bagerhat Bangladesh (full)

Episode 1. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4InyM5x2KM [Accessed 9 Dec. 2018].
2. Zahra, I., 2012. Destination image and tourism: A case study of
Bangladesh. European journal of business and management, 4(6), pp.18-27.
3. Das, R.K. and Chakraborty, J., 2012. An evaluative study on tourism in
Bangladesh. Developing Country Studies, 2(1), pp.17-27.
4. Iftikhar-ul-Awwal, A. Z. M. (2003). Our Cultural Heritage and Museums.
5. Kobra, M. K., Bhuiyan, K. H., & Zayed, N. M. (2018). WELL AND WOES OF
TOURISM PROMOTION IN BANGLADESH: INVESTMENT
PERSPECTIVE. Academy of Accounting and Financial Studies Journal, 22(3).

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