The Chawk Mosque in Dhaka

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, is located in the Chowk Bazaar

Chowk Bazaar

Chawk Bazaar is a well known bazaar in Lalbagh, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. It dates back to the Mughal period.-History:Chowk Bazaar was one of the most famous business and social meeting centers of Dhaka in the Mughal period. Even after 400 years it is still famous as before. It is one of Dhaka's old...

 area of the old town of Dhaka, south of the current city centre. It was originally built mostly likely during the rule of the Mughals in the 17th century and may be the earliest dated mosque in Bengal

Bengal

Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

 built on a high vault

Vault (architecture)

A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...

ed foundation

Foundation (architecture)

A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...

. Today the original building design has been lost through multiple renovations and extensions. The original roof with three domed mosques has been demolished.

Its construction has been dated to 1676, as noted by an inscription in the Persian language

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

 over a doorway. The inscription attributes the project to Subahdar Shaista Khan

Shaista Khan

Mirza Abu Talib, better known by his title Shaista Khan , was a Subahdar and general in the army of the Mughal Empire. A maternal uncle to Emperor Aurangzeb, he served as the Mughal governor of Bengal from 1664 to 1688, and was a key figure during the rule of his nephew, the emperor...

.