The Star Mosque

Star Mosque is a famous Mosque for its architectural beauty. Star Mosque is situated in Abdul Khairat Road, Armanitola, in the old part of Dhaka City.

Originally it was an oblong (10.06m x 4.04m) three-domed mosque. There were three mihrabs on the Qibla wall in alignment with the three doorways of the mosque, of which the central one was larger than the side ones. The prayer chamber was roofed with three domes, the central one being taller and larger than the other two.

In 1926 a local businessman named Alijan Bepari added a verandah to the mosque on its eastern side, thereby almost doubling the width of the mosque without changing its original plan. Five arches were erected on four pillars on the eastern facade of the verandah.

In 1987 the three-domed mosque was transformed into a five-domed mosque. The mosque, both inside and outside, is decorated with a mosaic. Small chips of Chinaware-plate, cup, etc, and pieces of glass have been used for the mosaic.

This type of mosaic is called 'Chini Tikri' work. Vase with flowers is an important decorative motif on the spandrel of the arches and elsewhere on the facade. Flower-vases, flower branches, Rosset, crescent, star, and Arabic calligraphic writing have been used in the decoration of the mosque.

The Star Mosque is an interesting site to watch for the tourists.