The Sundarbans:

It is the largest mangrove forest in the world (140,000 ha), lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The Sundarbans was originally measured (about 200 years ago) to be of about 16,700 sq km. Now it has dwindled to about 1/3 of the original size. Because of the partition of India, Bangladesh received about 2/3 of the forest, the rest is on the Indian side. It is now estimated to be about 4,110 sq km, of which about 1,700 sq km is occupied by water bodies. The forest is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The area is known for its wide range of fauna. The most famous among these is the, Bengal Tiger but numerous species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes also inhabit it.

This city's name broadly taken means 'habitat of tigers' but the literal meaning for bagh is garden or tiger, and hat is market place. This meaning aptly describes the physical condition of this low mangrove forest, which was inhabited by the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Founded by legendary warrior-saint Ulugh Khan Jahan in the early fifteenth century, Bagerhat later became a mint town of the independent Sultans of Bengal and was called Khalifatabad. Khan Jahan is considered one of the main torchbearers of Islam in the south of Bengal and built hundreds of mosques and public structures. Among those, 60-domed mosque is the biggest brick-made mosque in Bangladesh. Today, Bagerhat is being developed as a tourist spot but the tomb of Khan Jahan still remains a center of pilgrimage.

This Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat is declared as a world Heritage site in 1985.

60-Domed Mosque:
Shatgumbad Mosque is the largest of the Sultanate mosques in Bangladesh and one of the most impressive Muslim monuments in the whole of the Indian subcontinent. The mosque proper, built mainly of bricks, forms a vast rectangle and measures externally, inclusive of the massive two-storied towers on the angles, 48.77m from north to south and 32.92m from east to west.

Literally the term 'Shatgumbad' means sixty domes, but in reality the mosque has eighty-one domes in total - seventy-seven over the roof and four smaller ones over the four corner towers. Two suggestions may be made in this regard. Firstly, the seven chau-chala vaults over the central nave might have given the building the name of Satgumbad (Sat means seven and gumbad means dome), which in course of time has possibly been transformed into Shatgumbad. Secondly, the sixty pillars, which support the huge domed-roof above, might also have originally given the mosque the name of 'Shat Khumbaz' (shat means sixty and khumbaz means pillar). It is not unlikely that the word Khumbaz has subsequently been corrupted into gumbad to give the building the popular name of Shatgumbad. Of the two suggestions the latter seems to be more probable.

9-Domed Mosque:

Tomb of Khan Jahan:
Khan Jahan's Tomb stands on a high artificial mound on the northern bank of the so-called Thakurdighiand is surrounded by an outer wall of 67.1 m from east to west and 64.7m from north to south. It is popularly called the dargah complex of Khan Jahan. The complex consists of the square tomb building of Khan Jahan himself; a sarcophagus of Muhammad Tahir, his diwan; a single-domed mosque and the so-called kitchen. An intermediate wall encircles the tomb of Khan Jahan and the sarcophagus of his diwan.

Contact Information Phone: +88 02 982 0270
              +88 02 982 1992
Fax: +88 02 982 0145

cell: +88 01713452137 ~ 9
Location House # 05 (3rd floor)
Road # 17
Block # E