Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Mosque

Address: Baitul Mukarram, Topkhana Road, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh

Hours: Daily 7:00am-9:00pm (prayer times vary)

Admission: Free (entry to the mosque is generally free; donations accepted)

Baitul Mukarram National Mosque is the national mosque of Bangladesh located in central Dhaka, completed in the late 1960s and serving as the country’s principal place of congregational worship. It is a major religious and civic landmark in the capital.

The complex centres on a very large enclosed prayer hall and extensive open courtyard areas that together accommodate large congregations. Architectural treatment is notable for a cube-like massing that references the Kaaba in Mecca and for broad, column-free interior space that suits mass prayers. The mosque routinely holds large services on Fridays and during Islamic holy months.

Construction of the present mosque took place during the 1960s, with the completed complex inaugurated in 1968. Since then it has functioned as the national mosque and a focal point for major religious observances in Dhaka.

The mosque stands in central Dhaka; it is positioned within the urban fabric of the capital and is readily reached from major roads in the city centre.

• Capacity: Central prayer hall covers a very large area and the complex can accommodate roughly 40,000 worshippers during major prayers.
• Visiting tips: The mosque is busiest for Friday (Jumu’ah) prayers and during Ramadan; modest dress and removal of shoes are required inside.

Located on Topkhana Road near Motijheel, Baitul Mukarram is accessible by rickshaw, taxi or local buses from central Dhaka; it is within walking distance of several central government buildings.

• For worshippers and visitors the central courtyard is an excellent vantage point to observe the mosque's minimalist modernist lines.
• Visit outside of Friday prayers to avoid crowds and to see the building's exterior proportions unimpeded.
• Combine with nearby administrative landmarks in Motijheel and Old Dhaka for a fuller sense of the city's architectural contrasts.