[🇧🇩] Bangladeshi Architecture

[Bilal9]

Banga Bazar - the wholesale kutcha garments swap-meet type market in Dhaka near the Dhaka South City Hall which burned up a few years ago, will be re-built. Here are the CGI renders.

 

[Bilal9]

Masjid Al-Mustafa, new modern masjid in Dhaka.

 

[Saif]

Glimpses of the interior of Mughal-era mosques in Dhaka

Generally speaking, the magnificent facade and the rather generous surroundings of a Mughal mosque are in sharp contrast with its small interior.

www.thedailystar.net

Glimpses of the interior of Mughal-era mosques in Dhaka

Photo: Shadab Shahrokh Hai

It is no surprise that our city is home to several mosques of the Mughal period. Majestic and elegant, they capture our imagination. Visiting those mosques, particularly when you step inside them, elevates the experience to a whole new level.

First, you may be surprised at how small the interior of these mosques often are. Just look at this photograph that was clicked recently, of the Mosque of Haji Khwaja Shahbaz, built in 1679 CE that is located near Tin Netar Mazar.

Generally speaking, the magnificent facade and the rather generous surroundings of a Mughal mosque are in sharp contrast with its small interior.

However, a small interior does not imply any less elegance. The beautifully crafted arches and mihrabs make you travel back in time. Then, as you look up, the domes from the inside evoke a sense of grandeur.

Indeed, when you are inside these mosques, you are surrounded -- nay, literally immersed -- in history!

Sources: Muslim Architecture in Bengal by Ahmad Hasan Dani; Banglapedia​

 

[Bilal9]

Plan for a waterfront Central Business District (CBD) in Dhaka and the new crop of mid-rise skyscrapers. Most of the new structures are around 20~40 stories and have topped out already.

 

[Bilal9]

Bangladesh military museum is a showcase of military history in Bangladesh which is also architecturally significant.

 

[Bilal9]

Jolshiri DOHS planning images (CGI). much of it is already under construction.

 

[Bilal9]

Some more images of Jolshiri DOHS

 

[Bilal9]

Seeing some of the latest work by Bangladeshi architects (for both rural and urban structures), I am pretty sure that it is firmly in first tier territory in South Asia if not, all of Asia (maybe except China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia). Especially Thailand, which in my mind is very advanced in quality of architecture in terms of "Zen". See for yourself. For me these carry significance, as some of these urban ones are near where my ancestral home was. The village one (Sufi Bari) carries footage of the monsoon downpours, which is evocative for many Bengalis who grew up in Bangladesh.