Baitul Mukarram, the National Mosque of Bangladesh is designed in the style of the Kaaba of Mecca. The eight-storied mosque can accommodate about 40,000 people at a time for performing their prayers. It is the biggest mosque in Bangladesh and the 10th biggest in the world which preserves the traditional principles of Mughal Architecture.
The mosque complex was designed by architect, Abdulhusein M. Thariani.In 1959, owner of then Bawany Jute Mills, Haji Abdul Latif Bawany proposed to Major General Omrao Khan, then the military administrator of East Pakistan, of building a grand mosque in Dhaka. Omrao Khan agreed to help with building such a mosque. The same year, the 'Baitul Mukarram mosque committee' had been established and 8.30 acres of land between new Dhaka and old Dhaka had been chosen. At that time, there was a large pond in the present mosque's location. It was known as 'The paltan pond. The pond was filled up and on 27 January 1960 then president of Pakistan Ayub Khan commenced the work. Pray for the first time took place on Friday, 25 January 1963.
