User:AanyaGorai/Kusumba Mosque

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Kusumba Mosque (Bengali: কুসুম্বা শাহী মসজিদ) is a mosque in Manda Upazila of Naogaon District, Bangladesh. It was built in 1558–59 and is one of Bangladesh’s three national heritage sites. The mosque is often nicknamed “The Black Gem of Bangladesh.”

Contents

 * 1Location
 * 2History
 * 3Current condition
 * 4Structure
 * 5See also
 * 6References
 * 7Further reading

Location
The Kusumba Mosque is located on the west bank of Atrai river, under the Manda Upazila of Naogaon District in Bangladesh. The mosque can be found in the village of Kusumba.

History
Kusumba Mosque is named after the village of Kusumba in Bangladesh. There are Muslims in Bangladesh because they had migrated from the Iranian subcontinent. The Rohigya Muslims also migrated out from a similar region. As a result, much of the architecture of Bangladeshi Muslims was influenced by the Rohigya styles and techniques. It was built during the period of Afghan rule in Bangladesh by a high-ranking official named Sulaiman. It was built under one of the last Suri rulers. His name was Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah. Although the mosque was built under the suri rule, the architectural pattern was not influenced by the earlier Suri architecture of North India. It was constructed with a Bengal style. At the eastern central entrance, inscription mentioned the time period of construction of the mosque to 966 AH (1558-59 AD).

The Kusumba Mosque served as inspiration for other mosques in Bangladesh and mosques in Myanmar.

Current condition
The mosque was badly damaged during the earthquake in 1987. Kusumba Mosque is also known as Kala Pahar (কালা পাহাড়), meaning black mountain, or Kala Rotno (কালা রত্ন) which means Black Gem. Possible reason: During the massive earthquake of 1897 the mosque was damaged severely, but stood firmly. Since its original creation in the 1500s AD, the main structure Kusumba Mosque has never been restored, though some of the external domes have been repaired by the Bangladesh Department of Archaeology after the earthquake. Another reason can be for such name is the black plaster of stones at the outer wall. Now the mosque is protected by the Department of Archaeology of Bangladesh. The mosque is an attraction that is marveled at and studied, due its wonderful architectural style and elaborate decorations.

Structure
The mosque lies inside a walled enclosure with a monumental gateway with standing spaces for guards. The original purpose of this external wall was to keep animals and wildlife out, but much of the structure is destroyed today. Outside this enclosure, the mosque is surrounded by various types of greenery. Additionally, there used to be a water tank to the east of the enclosure meant to help provide water to local residents for household purposes. This water tank would often wet the ground near it, creating mud that was used in the construction of the mosque.

The inscription tablet is totally in Arabic in the Tugra writing style, except the part "built by" is in Persian.Walking up to the mosque, visitors will be greeted by a massive gateway, which is the only entrance to the mosque that is protected by a surrounding wall. One can almost imagine the guards outside, still protecting this breathtaking building. The foundation and most of the building was constructed from bricks, although the outer walls, some interior walls, side screens and columns are of stone.

The Kusumba Mosque intentionally includes a section dedicated to open space. The rest of the indoor chambers and structures are centered around this courtyard. There is seamless flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces. As a result, some of the chambers in the Kusumba Mosque are not as private and confidential compared to other mosques in the region; people passing by are able to see into the inner parts of the mosque with relative ease. This open architectural style means the mosque is well lit by sunlight and also well ventilated by the wind.

The exterior of the Kusumba mosque and much of the floor inside is made entirely of stove and covered in shallow relief carvings. The mosque used three types of stone in its construction: sand stone, granite, and marble. The four corners of the building each have rounded, octagonal towers. The exterior walls themselves are divided into two parts (top and bottom), separated by mouldings. The mouldings also serve as a border for decorative panels on the exterior of the mosque. In addition to this, there are two screened windows on the north and south sides of the structure. The east side of the mosque contains three blind multifoiled arches. This was a new style of arch created with the construction of the Kusumba mosque, distinguishing it from other mosques in the region. After the mosque was built, local artisans from the Kusumba village became trained in this style of arch. As a result, there are other similar arches in terracotta temples and mosques built after the Kusumba mosque. The central arch of these three was the main entrance to the mosque. This arch is decorated with floral motifs, including rosettes similar to the ones found in other parts of the mosque, such as the platform. Along the roof of the mosque, there are stone gutters to drain rainwater.

All the carvings on the external parts of the mosque are quite detailed and made by skilled artisans. Compared to other mosques in Bangladesh, the work on the Kusumba Mosque is significantly more intricate. On the other hand, the structure of the mosque itself is more simple relative to other Bangladeshi mosques.

The Kusumba Mosque has many mihrabs that are made of stone and contain arches supported by large pillars. All parts of the mihrabs are heaving decorated with detailed carvings of fruits, vines, and flowers. The support pillars also include tasseled decorations attached with chains. The central Mihrab is designed in the west. To the right of this Mihrab, is the space dedicated for education and study. Opposite the central and southeastern entrances, the interior west wall has two mihrabs. There is division in the two mihrabs and they had different platforms. That is because the time of construction the general public was separated from officials and nobility during the prayers.