Lesson: The Shat Gambuj Mosque

A. Picture Discussion (Picture not provided)

Look at the picture. Work in pairs. Talk about the picture and ask and answer the following questions:

1. What is this building?
2. Do you have a building like this in your town/village?
3. What do we call it?
4. What is it used for?

(Note: Please refer to the picture provided with your original lesson materials.)

B. Reading

The Shat Gambuj Mosque: A Testament to Islamic Heritage

‘Heritage’ is what we inherit from the past, live with in the present, and pass on to our children or future generations. Our unique source of life and inspiration is our cultural and natural heritage. When we speak of “World Heritage,” we mean places and sites inherited from the past and passed on to future generations worldwide.

The ‘Shat Gambuj Mosque’ in Bagerhat is one such heritage. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Originally, the historic Mosque City was known as ‘Khalifatabad’. It is situated on the outskirts of Bagerhat town, not very far from the dense mangrove forest of the Sundarbans. Khalifatabad was a Muslim colony founded by the Turkish general, a saint-warrior named Ulugh Khan Jahan, in the 15th century. The city’s infrastructure reveals significant technical skills in many mosques and early Islamic monuments. Baked bricks were used for constructing the buildings. The city’s planning was dominated by traditional Islamic architecture, and the decorations combined Mughal and Turkish architectural styles.

Khan Jahan built a network of roads, bridges, public buildings, and reservoirs to make the city habitable. There were about 360 mosques in the city. The most remarkable is the multi-domed Shat Gambuj Mosque.

The mosque is unique because it has 60 pillars supporting the roof, with 77 low-height domes. The four towers at the four corners also have smaller domes at the top. The vast prayer hall has 11 arched doorways on the east and seven on the north and south for light and ventilation. It has seven aisles running along the mosque's length and 11 deep curves between the slender stone columns. These columns support the curving arches created by the domes. The arches are 6 feet thick and have slightly narrowing hollow and round walls.

The west wall of the interior has 11 mihrabs (niches in a mosque pointing toward Mecca). These mihrabs are decorated with stonework and terracotta. The mosque floor is made of brick.

Besides being used as a prayer hall, Khan Jahan also used the mosque as his court. Today, it is one of the greatest tourist attractions and architectural marvels in Bangladesh.

(Picture: A view of the Shat Gambuj Mosque)

C. Information Chart

Complete the information chart about the Shat Gambuj Mosque:

| Shat Gambuj Mosque | Information | |----------------------|-----------------------| | Founded by | | | When | | | Number of domes | | | Number of pillars | | | Arches | | | Thickness of arches | | | Mihrabs | |

D. Describing a Mosque

Look at the picture of the Star Mosque in Dhaka (picture not provided). Read the information and write a description of the mosque using the given clues.

Location: Dhaka, Abul Khairat Road Style: Mughal Number of domes: 5 Decoration: different sizes of stars on domes and outside walls Materials used for decoration: chinaware and white cement Interior of the mosque: mosaic floor, floral tiles on the walls Built by: Mirza Ghulam Pir—a respected Zamindar of Dhaka Time: early 18th century

(Note: Please refer to the picture provided with your original lesson materials.)