Satgumbad Mosque is situated in the Muhammadpur area of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
The building exhibits seven domes- three over the prayer chamber and four over the corner towers. Hence it is known as Satgumbad (seven domed) Mosque. On stylistic grounds it is suggested that the mosque was built sometime around 1680 AD by Shaista Khan, subadar and a general in the Mughal army and maternal uncle of Emperor Aurangzeb. Under his rule as Governor of Bengal from 1664 – 1688 the city of Dhaka and the provice attained its greatest heights, one notable achievement being the conquest of Chattogram (Chittagong).
The interior of the Satgambad Mosque is divided by two wide arches into three conventional divisions – a large central square bay and a smaller rectangular bay on either side. The roof is covered with three slightly bulbous domes on octagonal drums, the central one being bigger than its flanking counterparts. The large central dome is supported by the wide arches together with the two blocked arches over the central mihrab and central archway and the triangular pendentives on the upper angles. But in covering the side rectangles with domes a clever method has been adopted. In order to make a circular base for the dome, the rectangular space has first been made square above by creating half-domed vaults on the east and west walls.
These half-domed vaults together with a further series of pendentives on the corners directly support the small domes.
The corner towers have flanking turrets like those in Khwaja Shahbaz’s Mosque and Musa Khan Mosque, both in Dhaka city. Each of these consists of two storeys and is a monument by itself. The lower storey is pierced with four cardinally set arched openings in the north-south and east-west axis. Internally the roof of the lower storey is domical, but its reverse side is flat and forms the floor of the upper storey. Roofed over by a dome with an expanded lotus finial the upper storey appears to be an exact copy of the lower one, but with a slight variation. In addition to the four axial openings the upper storey has an extra opening towards the roof. Through this opening one can reach the upper storey of the towers from the roof of the mosque.
The horizontal parapet and the drum of the domes are ornamented with rows of merlons. The eastern facade is embellished with panels in the usual Mughal style. The mihrab arches have beautiful cuspings on their faces. The rectangular frame, which encloses the central mihrab, is topped by a frieze of blind crestings. All the domes are crowned with lotus and kalasa finials and internally marked with a basal course of petals. The apex of the central dome has a large medallion decorated with a five-tiered rosette. The mosque does not have any gorgeous surface ornamentation like the north Indian Mughal examples, but it is still appealing for the graceful arrangement of its different component parts.
SATGUMBAD MOSQUE
SATGUMBAD MOSQUE
The interior of the Satgambad Mosque is divided by two wide arches into three conventional divisions – a large central square bay and a smaller rectangular bay on either side. The roof is covered with three slightly bulbous domes on octagonal drums, the central one being bigger than its flanking counterparts. The large central dome is supported by the wide arches together with the two blocked arches over the central mihrab and central archway and the triangular pendentives on the upper angles. But in covering the side rectangles with domes a clever method has been adopted. In order to make a circular base for the dome, the rectangular space has first been made square above by creating half-domed vaults on the east and west walls.