Saudi envoy visits Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Masjid

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan recently visited Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Masjid, popularly known as the Red Mosque which has won the prestigious Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for its intricate Islamic architectural design.

State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources of Bangladesh Nasrul Hamid received KSA Ambassador  Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan on the promises of the mosque at Keraniganj, said a press release. 

After visiting the mosque, Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan said Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia enjoy warm relations that will reach a new height in the coming days.

He said that Bangladesh has been one of the most populous Muslim-majority countries in the present world and expressed the hope that Bangladesh and KSA will work together to spread the spirit of Islam and contain militancy in the region.

Terming Islam as the religion of peace and harmony, he said in Bangladesh, people irrespective of caste, creed, religion and belief live in a harmonious way.

He also handed over 100 copies of the holy Quran to State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources of Bangladesh Nasrul Hamid.

Nasrul Hamid said that Bangladesh is maintaining friendly-relations with all the Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia in the greater welfare of the Muslim Ummah as well as the people of Bangladesh.

He also said Saudi Arabia enjoys a special place in the hearts of Bangladeshi people.

"Our brotherly relations will be cemented in the days to come," he said.

Meanwhile, the old mosque adjacent to the Red Mosque also won the 'UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards 2021 Cycle for Cultural Heritage Conservation' award recently, and architect Saeed Mostaq Ahmed won the 'Award of Merit' for its renovation and preservation.

Also known as "Daroga Masjid", Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque was constructed by Daroga Aminuddin Ahmed in 1868.

Aminuddin's son Moiz Uddin Ahmed was the first caretaker of the mosque. Khidir Baksh and Kader Baksh, two brothers who were Moiz Uddin's relatives, continued the mosque's construction and renovation.

Kader Baksh' grandson, former lawmaker Prof Hamidur Rahman, expanded the mosque further and built its minaret in 1968.

Later, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, son of Prof Hamidur Rahman, took an initiative for the restoration of the mosque keeping the main infrastructure intact.

Architect Abu Sayeed M Ahmed led the year-long restoration project, finishing it in 2018.

Meanwhile, the historic Nizamuddin Basti, a slum in the Indian capital, has received the Award of Excellence the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation for its "outstanding achievement in placing heritage at the heart of the sustainable development agenda".

The project also garnered a Special Recognition for Sustainable Development.   

Nine projects from six countries -- Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand -- have been honoured by a jury of heritage experts, the UN body said in a release.

Duong Bich Hanh, Chief of Culture Unit at UNESCO Bangkok, said, "The diversity of heritage typologies and countries where the winning projects come from are truly remarkable. The number of projects that have successfully addressed various aspects of the sustainable development agenda is also commendable."

The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme recognises the efforts of private individuals and organisations in restoring, conserving, and transforming structures and buildings of distinct heritage value in the region