Dhaka
A mosque covered in mosaic tiles patterned with stars.
The Star Mosque (Tara Masjid) in Armanitola is one of Old Dhaka’s most photographed buildings. It was built in the early 19th century by Mirza Golam Pir as a plain, three-domed mosque in the late Mughal style.
Its famous look came in the early 20th century, when the local businessman Ali Jan Bepari had the mosque renovated and covered in chini tikri — a mosaic made from broken pieces of china and glazed tiles. Hundreds of blue stars spread across the domes and walls, which gave the mosque its name, along with crescents, flowers and other patterns.
The mosque was later enlarged to make room for more worshippers, and it is still an active place of prayer for the neighbourhood.
Start in the morning and look closely at the china mosaic on the domes and walls.
Walk a few minutes to the 1781 church and its quiet graveyard.
Take a rickshaw down to the river for the Nawabs’ palace and museum.
Finish at Nazira Bazar with kacchi biryani and borhani.
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October to March, in the morning outside prayer times, when the light shows the mosaic best.
In Armanitola, Old Dhaka: a rickshaw from Bangshal or Nayabazar.
