Binat Bibi Mosque, Manda Mosque: The Longest Surviving Islamic Theological Sites in Dhaka

 

The number of mosques in Bangladesh is more than 2.5 million. The capital Dhaka is often referred to as the "City of Mosques" in terms of its number, architectural style and aesthetics.

Dhaka, the call to prayer, or Adhan, resounds, touching the hearts of all Muslims and drawing them closer to the Almighty.

According to the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh's report, there are 10,000 mosques in Dhaka. (Daily Ittefaq, 7 December 2014).

The history of Dhaka is more than 400 years old. Dhaka’s transformation into the ‘City of Mosques’ didn’t happen overnight. In 1832, George Henry Walter, the then magistrate of Dhaka, mentioned in a report that there were 153 mosques in the city. Over time, this number has significantly increased.

In Dhaka, along with the new mosques, many mosques from the ancient period still exist. However, many old mosques have been lost to time. Dhaka became a city of mosques since the Mughal period. Even several mosques from the Sultanate period still stand in the city. Famous mosques such as Binat Bibi Mosque (established: 1435 AD), Musa Khan Mosque (established: early 1800 AD), Chawk Bazar Shahi Mosque (established: 1676 AD), Kartalab Khan Mosque (established: 1704 AD), Tara Mosque (established: 1800 AD), among others, enriching Dhaka’s religious landscape.

There is much debate about which mosque was the first in Dhaka.

It's not found in history book that who first proclaimed the call to prayer (Adhan) in Dhaka.

However, Binat Bibi Mosque in Narinda, widely recognized to be the Dhaka's first and oldest mosque.
Nestled in the heart of old Dhaka's historic Narinda neighborhood, the Binat Bibi Mosque stands as a silent witness to centuries of change. Constructed in 1457 (861 Hijri) during the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah, it is a precious relic from the pre-Mughal Sultanate period. The mosque located in the north side of the Hayat Bepari Bridge on Narinda Road No. 6 in Old Dhaka.

According to Banglapedia, Binat Bibi Mosque is the oldest Muslim structure and the first mosque in Dhaka. This mosque has been standing tall for nearly 600 years.
History shows that the communication system at that time was river-based. The history of building Binat Bibi Mosque has been engraved on a black stone on the body of the mosque.

The stone inscription of the mosque written in Farsi (Persian) is located on the north of the Mosque where Binat Bakht is buried.
According to the inscription, some 150 years before the arrival of Islam Khan during the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah I, a Turkish trader Marhamat named Arkan Ali started living in Narinda for business purposes. He built the mosque with a capacity of 30-40 devotees.

His beloved daughter Binat Bibi died suddenly and was buried near the mosque. Since then the edifice has been known as Binat Bibir Mosque. Saddened by the sudden death of his daughter, Arkan Ali also died after six months. He was buried next to his daughter adjacent to the mosque. Former Professor of Islamic History and Culture at Dhaka University Parween Hasan writes in her ‘Sultans and Mosques: The Early Muslim Architecture of Bangladesh’ that single hemispherical dome atop a square room, arches on south, north and eastern sides, octagonal turret, modest ornamentation, plaster coating and curved cornices are the original features of the Binat Bibi Mosque.

Although it is assumed that Binat Bibi Mosque is the first mosque in Dhaka; but it is very difficult to say irrefutably that no mosque was built in Dhaka before the construction of this mosque. Because the Sultans of Bengal were very interested in building mosques and madrasas—this is a proven fact of history. Therefore, it cannot be denied that many ancient mosques were built during that period. But yes, they may not have survived structurally. Apart from this argument, there is another argument that it is difficult to accurately call Bint Bibi Mosque the oldest mosque in Dhaka.

According to Dr Abdul Karim’s book, “Mughal Rajdhani Dhaka”, published in 1994, the 'Manda Mosque' Manda Union in Mugda, Dhaka is an older mosque than Binat Bibi Mosque.

A black stone inscription of an ancient mosque from Sultan Jalal al-Din Muhammad Shah's period is preserved in the National Museum. In history, it is known as the Mandra Mosque or Manda Mosque.

Jalal al-Din was a Sultan of Bengal in the 15th century. He ruled for 16 years in two periods -- from 1415 to 1416, and then from 1418 to 1433. Bengal grew in wealth and population during Sultan Jalal’s reign. He had commissioned construction of many mosques and buildings, combining Bengali and Islamic architecture.

The little known Manda mosque is located in Ward No. 4 of Manda Union in Mugda Thana, Dhaka. The Dhaka Architecture Book Preparation Committee also shared the same opinion.

According to the inscription, 'Manda Mosque' was built in January 1433 AD. The historical 'Manda Mosque' is currently known as 'Nandu Bepari Mosque'.

Nandu Bepari Mosque Or Manda Mosque's structure offers nothing spectacular if the architectural aspect is considered but its specialty lies in its history. The five hundred and sixty six-year-old building is the oldest surviving mosque of Dhaka, a metropolis that is known as ‘the city of mosque’.

Manda is one of the most densely populated areas of Dhaka, but there are several mosques here that are a hundred years old or older.  Among them, Nandu Bepari Mosque and Manda Chata Mosque are the oldest.

According to Ahmed Hasan Dani and Dr Abdul Karim’s book, Manda was located on the banks of the extinct Dolai River. Manda Masjid was built onshore of the Dolai river, one of the main waterways during Sultanate and Mughal eras.

Habiba Khatun, former professor of Islamic History and Culture Department at Dhaka University (DU), gave account of this mosque in her doctoral thesis.She said that she first visited the mosque in 1982. At that time, she was convinced by the architectural style of the mosque that it belongs to the Sultanate period, according to an earlier news report.

However, the 6th century inscription of the historic Manda Mosque or Nandu Bepari Mosque remains. However, the original structure is no longer there.

The mosque had a dome earlier. Even though the dome collapsed, the original structure of the Sultanate period was found in the mosque.

Md Nur-Hossen, a freedom fighter and descendant of Nandu Bepary, narrated the true story of the mosque to Asian Age.

"All of our ancestors' homes are here (Manda). I heard from my ancestors that years ago Abu Bepary along with his father arrived in Manda and started living here permanently. Abu's father  was the Imam of the mosque,” Nur-Hossen said.

“After his father’s death, Abu took charge of the mosque. Abu Mia had four sons and among his four sons, Nandu was intelligent and rich businessman. According to their ancestral lineage, the Manda Canal is located to the north of the mosque and house. It was once a big river, and this river led to the Buriganga River in the west and the Shitalakshya River in the east. During the time of Nandu Bepari (at the end of the Mughal period), when the mosque the mosque started to become dilapidated, Nandu rebuilt the mosque on its original structure, which is why the residents of the neighborhood named it Nandu Bepari's Mosque." Nur-Hossen added.

"Years ago, the mosque was severely damaged. My great-grandfather first renovated this mosque. The original form of the mosque is no more. The mosque was modernised in a new form and mainly we installed the porcelain plaques and structure on the outer walls of the mosque, that too sevaral years ago." Nur-Hossen said.

The inscription is carved on black stone. Its dimensions are 77.72 cm by 53.34 cm. Dr. Yusuf Siddique said that such script style exists in the inscriptions of the Bahri Mamluk sultans of Egypt at that time.

This calligraphy plaque in four lines in Arabic in the excellent Bahri or Bihari style is an excellent example of calligraphy of the Sultanate period.
The black basalt tablet, which contains four lines in Arabic, mentions Sultan Jalal al-Din Muhammad Shah. The first two lines of the inscription praise God and his messenger. “The mosque was built in the name of the sultan,” reads the third line.

The final line reads, “Muzaffar Muhammad Shah al-Sultan; may Allah perpetuate his kingdom and sovereignty. [Built by] Ulug Khan Muazzam Dinar Khan…Shiqdar of Affairs Nayk Muhammad copied [it] on Jumad-al-Awwal, 836 AH (January 3, 1433).”

Sultan Jalal al-Din Muhammad Shah died in 1433. The year of his death coinciding with that of the structure’s construction indicates that Manda Masjid was possibly built to mark his demise.

The motifs made in the mosque using pieces of porcelain in the style of ancient designs are similar to those made in mosques during the Sultanate period.  However, the inscription bears the glory of the antiquity of this mosque.


Adnan Hadi is a senior journalist 
mainly writing on archeological 
sites and sports. He can be reached 
at: [email protected]