Lalbagh Fort Masjid (Dhaka)

 mosque  Add category

Part of site Lalbagh Fort Complex
Variant Names Fort Aurangabad Mosque
Location Dhaka, Bangladesh
Date 1678-1679
Style/Period Mughal
Century 17th
Building Type religious
Building Usage mosque
Keywords indigenous/vernacular/traditional

This mosque, part of the Lalbagh Fort Complex and built under the rule of Governor Shaista Khan, is situated in the western part of the complex, aligned with the tomb of Bibi Pari. Stylistically it belongs to Shaista Khani architecture, its form is typical of three-domed, rectangular mosques commonly found in Dhaka.

Measuring 65' x 32', the mosque's four corners are emphasized by octagonal towers that rise slightly above the parapet walls. Each tower is capped with plastered kiosks. The eastern or main facade is visually divided into three sections. The middle section is emphasized by a frame of slender, engaged columns, a raised cornice, and a larger dome. The surface is decorated with recessed rectangular panels. It has three doorways adorned with cusped arches that correspond to the three domes above. The three domes are fluted and sit on octagonal drums.


Some have claimed that the domical construction technique used in this mosque initiated the design emphasis on central domes. Each of the three bays are equal in size, however, the diameter of the lateral domes are proportionally smaller. This was achieved by spliting each lateral dome into a half-dome and placing it on a pendentive. ..