Chawk Mosque

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Chawk Mosque is located in the Chawkbazar area of old Dhaka, the mosque has been altered and extended so much that today it is hardly possible to have an idea of its original form and design. The western half of the 3.05m high vaulted platform (28.65m from north to south and 24.38m from east to west) is occupied by the original three-domed mosque proper. The vaulted rooms underneath the platform must have been originally devised for providing residential accommodation for students and teachers. Multi-storied extensions have been made on the north and east sides. The original three-domed roof has been demolished and a new one of similar nature (with a bigger central dome) is built over the upper storey. This is perhaps the earliest dated mosque in Bengal that was built on a high vaulted platform. A Persian inscription over the central doorway of the mosque proper records its construction by Subahdar Shaista Khan in 1676 AD.