This important collection on the Islamic architecture of Bangladesh contains detailed architectural descriptions, images and, in some cases, drawings on 33 historic sites in Bangladesh. The collection was compiled and researched diligently by Dr. Mohammad Habib Reza, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, BRAC University, and his team consisting of Shajjad Hossein, research assistant and Ifreet Rahima, research assistant. The project was a collaboration between BRAC University, Archnet and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The team spent months photographing, measuring and preparing materials on 22 of the 33 sites in the collection. Among other volunteers’, the contribution of Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed and Riffat Farzana was notable.
"In any overall survey of the diverse architectural traditions of the Islamic world, that of Bengal usually receives little notice, if any. The mosques and tombs at Gaur and Pandua, for example, attract few visitors; as a result, the distinctive features of these buildings are hardly known beyond the subcontinent." The purpose of this collection is to introduce the principal monuments of Islamic Bangladesh; these form a coherent group owing to the essentially regional character of architectural forms, materials, techniques and decoration.
1 Michell, George, editor. The Islamic Heritage of Bengal, Paris: UNESCO, 1984.
