sun photo As a city well known for mosques, Dhaka is duly adorned with numerous mosques and Islamic establishments that blend together both ancient architectural styles and modern design. Gulshan Central Mosque, popularly known as Gulshan Azad Mosque, is one such structure that holds the beauty of the modern era, adding another feather in the cap of glory in this �mosque city�. Located in an affluent neighbourhood of Gulshan, the mosque was established in 1976 on six acres of land with bold design and grandeur of conception. Sources said the mosque was designed by architect Mesbah-ul-Kabir. The centrally air-conditioned three-storied mosque has four long minarets. Both the interior and exterior d�cor of the mosque is so elegant that it touches hearts of the people who come to say prayers. Walls, columns, floors and ceilings are simply decorated with stone pieces much to its credit. Excessive ornamentation was avoided as minimal ornamentation is typical of the modern architecture. The mosque has the capacity to accommodate over 10,000 devotees at a time. MA Hannan, secretary of the supervisory committee, said the mosque was initiated and sponsored by a committee headed by late-lamented Dewan Abdul Basik and justice Abdur Jabbar Khan in 1974. The then government allocated the land for building the mosque. How did the mosque get the name? Hannan tells the story. �Once there was a bus stop and a building named �Azad Building�. Local residents used to call this place as Azad. Since then, the mosque got the name Azad,� he told daily sun. Although the name gets popularity among the commoners, the secretary termed this name �silly and illogical�. This mosque is not only a prayer site, but a centre for Islamic studies as well. It has a madrasa and a school named International Islamic Academy. In addition, the mosque offers short courses round the year for all free of cost. �Under the committee, we also teach enthusiasts the holy Qur�an for free. We routinely conduct seminars and symposia with the participation of renowned Islamic scholars to spread the light of Islam.� To the north of the mosque, it has a well-stocked library with a collection of 2,000 Islamic books. Of them, 1,245 are translated into Bangla from other languages, 350 English books and some 500 others are in Arabic language. The library is open to everyone but nobody is allowed to take home any book. The mosque has special prayer arrangement for women. On the south side, a special space is allocated for women so that they can say prayers. Jannatul Nahar, who sometimes says prayers at the mosque, says: �Although Dhaka is a city of mosques, it has very little opportunity for women�s prayers. �We used to come here on special days of the Muslim calendar to say prayers in groups,� the forty-year-old added. Gulshan Central Mosque and Eidgah Committee is the custodian of the mosque. Maulana Mahmudul Hasan is khatib of the mosque. Maulana Shamsul Inam is pesh imam and Maulana Ahsan Ullah, Maulana Abdul Qaiyum and Maulana Abul Hasan Shamim are his deputies.
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