Tara mosque (also Star mosque) is a nice stylish old mosque from Armanitola, which is at the old part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. This beautiful mosque attracts lot of international and local tourists everyday. This mosque is also known as Tara mosjid or Tara mosque. It is at the western side of the Armanitola High School. The dimension of the mosque is 33×11 feet.
It was built during 18th century by Mirza Ghulam Pir, a zamidar from Dhaka. The mosque is having five domes. The mosque is having a lot of small stars on the wall, which eventually decided the mosque’s name as Tara mosque (In English Tara means star). Initially this Star mosque had only three domes at top. But now days it has 5 domes where three are smaller one.
In early of 20th century, a rich businessman named Ali Jan Bepari financed to do the reparation of the mosque and also added a veranda at the eastern side of the mosque. Inside the mosque is decorated nicely with the mosaic and the tiles are having floral patterns on it. Unlike any other mosques from Old Dhaka, this one has a bit of spaces at the eastern side of the mosque. During heavy crowded prayer people can stand in that open space.
How to Go:
Older part of the Dhaka city is very packed and difficult to go there with a car. Rickshaw is the best option for this. Any rickshaw puller near from the University of Dhaka, or from Motijheel should provide you a lift for the payment. During your rickshaw ride you should be able to enjoy the old style of Old Dhaka. GPS coordinate of the Tara mosque is (23°42’56.36″N, 90°24’6.01″E).
What to eat nearby:
If you are a fan of South Asian spice, and also love to taste the food from Old Dhaka, then Haji Biriyani or Nanna Morog Polau is a must do thing for you. This small restaurant is just 2 minutes of walking distance from the mosque. Ask anyone (or your rickshaw puller) to show the direction. For you help the GPS coordinate is (23°42’58.0″N, 90°24’01.0″E).
There is another old mosque named Kartalab khan mosque which is a walking distance from this Tara mosque. You could visit that mosque after visiting this one.
Star Mosque / Tara mosque,
Old Dhaka,
Bangladesh,
GPS coordinate (23°42’56.36″N, 90°24’6.01″E)
List of Hotels from Dhaka.
This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://alonelytraveler.com/
Saturday, 11 June 2011
