The Misleading Name of the Sixty Dome Mosque

The city of Khalifatabad rose up almost 600 years ago in the marshy forests on the edge of the Sundarbans mangroves. Today, what remains of the medieval city is known as the “Old Mosque City of Bagerhat.”  

The city extends for over 50 square kilometres and contains 360 buildings, including mosques, mausoleums, bridges, roads, and water tanks. Every day the call to prayer echoes over the rooftops of the Sixty Dome Mosque.

Despite the name the mosque doesn’t have 60 domes, it actually has 81,  held up by 60 interior stone columns. 

Next to the mosque is a large freshwater pond for capturing rainwater.

The historic mosques of Bagerhat, including the 60 dome mosque, are still active religious buildings with daily services.

Bagerhat is also a major tourism destination with over 300,000 visitors per year. 

The mosque was documented in 2019 using digital technologies to provide an accurate record of its current condition.