The Shat Gombuj Mosque

In the mid-15th century, a muslim was founded in the inhospitable mangrove forest of the Sundarbans near the sea coast in Bagerhat district by a saint Ulugh Khan Jahan. He was the earliest torchbearer of Islam in the South, who laid the nucleus of an affiluent city during reign of Sultan Nasir uddin mahmud Shah (1442-59), then known as 'Khalifatabad' (present Bagerhat). Khan Jahan adorned his city with numerous mosques, tanks, roads and public buildings. The most spectacular of which is the imposing multidomed mosque in Banglsdesh, known as the Shat Gombuj Mosque. The stately fabric of the monument stands on the eastern bank of the vast sweet-water tank, clusternd around by the having foliage of a low-line countryside characteristic of a sea coast landscape.

The Mosque is roofed over with 77 squat domes, including 7 chauchala or four-sided domes in the middle row. The vast prayer hall is provided with 11 arched doorways on east and 7 each on north and south for ventilation and light. It has 7 longitudinal aisles and 11 deep bays by a forest of slender stones columns. From these columns spring rows of endless arches, supporting thr domes. The arches are six feet in thickness, have slightly tapering hollow and round walls. The interior and the exterior of the mosque give a view of rather plain architecture but the interior western wall of the moque is beautiful decorated with terracotta flowers and foliage.

Besides being used as a prayer hall the mosque was also used as the court of Khan Jahan Ali. Now it is one of the greatest tourist attractions and best architectural beauties of Bangladesh.