Kuliarchar Mosque

Kuliarchar Mosque a ten-domed mosque situated at Kuliarchar in Kishoreganj district. It is rectangular in shape (18.3 x 6.1m) and has five-arched entrances, each bordered with a rectangular frame, on its eastern fa'ade. It has two more arched entrances, one each of its northern and southern sides. A gracefully curved cornice terminates the top of each wall. At each corner stands an octagonal tower with a cupola rising a little above the cornice. Ten small domes, appearing like inverted cups, stand on the top.

Internally, the prayer hall of the mosque is divided into five bays and two aisles. Four brick-built pillars stand in a line in the middle of the hall. There are five mihrabs in the qibla side. The central mihrab has been decorated with terracotta scrolls. Interestingly, the decoration includes a crescent motif.

The mosque has been renovated to a great extent. A flat roof has been constructed on its eastern side. The walls have also been white washed a number of times, obliterating their original decorative characteristics. It belongs to the family of ten-domed mosques of Bengal; other specimens are the tantipaDa mosque at Gaur (1480), bagha mosque at Rajshahi (1523) and the qutb shahi mosque at Pandua.

The mosque is not dated by any inscription. It is presumed to have been built in the late 16th century. [Shahnaj Husne Jahan]