60 Dome mosque corner view scaled

Sixty Dome Mosque (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

The great 15th-century brick mosque of Bagerhat, centrepiece of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Allow two to three hours with the museum, or a full day for the whole mosque city.

About Sixty Dome Mosque (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

The Sixty Dome Mosque (Shat Gombuj Masjid) stands in Bagerhat, in Khulna Division, although it is filed under Barishal on this site. It was built in the mid-15th century under Khan Jahan Ali, who founded a city here in the mangrove fringes, and it is the largest historic mosque in Bangladesh. Together with the surrounding monuments it was listed by UNESCO in 1985 as the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat, one of the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh.

Despite the name, the roof carries more than seventy low domes, held up by around sixty slender stone pillars that create a forest of arches inside the prayer hall. The thick brick walls, rounded corner towers and curved cornice show how builders adapted to the Bengal climate. It is still a working mosque, so visits pause at prayer times.

A small site museum next to the mosque introduces Khan Jahan Ali and the mosque city. Nearby you can walk to the single-domed Singair Mosque, then continue to the Khan Jahan Ali Shrine and the Nine Dome Mosque. Evergreen Bangladesh Tours visits Bagerhat on private tours with a local guide, often combined with a day in the Sundarbans.

Things to do

  • Explore the prayer hall

    Walk among the rows of pillars and arches inside one of the great mosques of medieval Bengal.

  • Site museum

    Learn about Khan Jahan Ali and the lost mosque city in the small museum beside the mosque.

  • Mosque city walk

    Visit Singair Mosque nearby, then the shrine and Nine Dome Mosque by Thakur Dighi.

  • Architectural photography

    The long brick facade and domes look best in the warm late-afternoon light.

Getting there

From Khulna: about an hour by road to Bagerhat.

From Dhaka: around four to five hours by road via the Padma Bridge. Bagerhat pairs well with a stay in Khulna and a Sundarbans trip.

Where to stay

Stay in Khulna, which has the widest choice of hotels. Bagerhat has a few simple hotels if you want to be on site early.

More to see in Bagerhat

Tours that visit Sixty Dome Mosque (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Questions

Why is it called the Sixty Dome Mosque?

The name is traditional. The roof actually has more than seventy domes, and the hall rests on around sixty stone pillars.

Is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Yes. It is the main monument of the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat, listed in 1985.

When is it open?

The mosque and museum are run with the Department of Archaeology and usually close on Sundays. Check current hours before you go, and expect breaks at prayer times.

Can non-Muslims go inside?

Yes, outside prayer times. Remove your shoes and dress modestly.

Plan my trip WhatsApp