Kartalab Khan Mosque

The Kartalab Khan Mosque or Begum Bazar Mosque, in the Begum Bazar area in old Dhaka, Bangladesh, was built by Nawab Diwan Murshid Quli Khan (alias Kartalab Khan) between 1700 and 1704. The mosque consists of a high valuated platform, a mosque with a 'dochala' annex on the north upon the western half of the platform and a 'baoli' (stepped well) to the east of the platform. It is roofed by five domes resting on octagonal drums. The mosque was extensively renovated by Mirza Golam Pir in the nineteenth century. In accordance with Murshid Quli Khan's wishes, he was buried under the entrance to this mosque.

History
Kartalab Khan Mosque is one of the largest Mughal mosques in Dhaka. It is built on a high platform called a tahkhana. Underneath the platform there is a series of rectangular rooms that are let out to shopkeepers. A fish market was built to meet the expenses of the mosque.

The 'Baoli', the only known example of its kind in Bengal, is considered to be of North Indian or Deccan origin, the latter possibility being more likely since its builder had been in the Deccan before coming to Dhaka.

In 1777, the control of the market was taken over by Begum daughter of the then Naib-e-Nazim Sharfaraz Khan. The name of the locality ‘Begumbazar’ and possibly that of the mosque originate from her name. Another possibility is that it was named after a mutawallī (administrator) of the mosque.

Architectural value
As stated by archaeologist Ahmad Hasan Dani, "The mosque proper also shows a departure from the earlier buildings. The older features of the three-domed mosque are here repeated and multiplied so as to make a five-domed mosque. The facade shows five entrances, each separated from the other by slender minaret rising high above the battlemented parapet. Similarly the corner towers have their kiosks shooting above."