The historic Sixty Dome Mosque. File Photo

BAGERHAT Mar 06, 2026 (BSS)- Bagerhat is called the 'city of mosques' due to the density of numerous historical mosques, shrines, dighis and ancient structures built by Khan Jahan Ali (RA) during the Sultanate period in the 15th century.

UNESCO declared the mosque site as a World Heritage Site in 1985. There are many ancient monuments here including the historic Sixty Dome Mosque, Nine Dome Mosque, Bibi Begni Mosque, and Zinda Pir Mosque. 

The main reason why Bagerhat is called the city of mosques

Historic Khalifatabad Khan Jahan Ali built a prosperous city and administrative center called 'Khalifatabad' around this region. 
 

More than three hundred mosques, roads, bridges and dighi were built here during the Sultanate period, of which a significant number of mosques still survive. 

The mosques in this region are built in the 'Khan Jahan Style' or unique terracotta architectural style, which is one of the most important examples of Islamic architecture in Southeast Asia. 

Among some notable mosques and places,  the Sixty Dome Mosque (Satgambuj Mosque) is the most famous. The tomb of Khan Jahan Ali (R.A.) is one of the main centers of this city. Other mosques are- the Nine Dome Mosque and the Zinda Pir Mosque, Bibi Begni Mosque and Singair Mosque. 
 
In fact, very few cities in the world have such a dense population of historical mosques and traces of 15th-century Islamic culture, according to the officials.
 

?The city of mosques, Bagerhat, is essentially an extinct city. It was part of the Bagerhat city in Bagerhat district, located in southwestern Bangladesh. Located 15 miles southeast of Khulna and 300 kilometers southwest of Dhaka, Bagerhat was also known as Khalifatabad and was also known as the Mint City of Shahi Bengal. 

The city was founded by the Turkish general Khan-i-Jahan in the 15th century. Forbes has compiled a list of the 15 lost cities of the world, and this city, which consists of more than 50 Islamic buildings, is included in this list.  Architectural work in those mosques describes an important chapter of the human history.