A contemporary mausoleum and community centre in Manikganj, Bangladesh, the Shah Muhammad Mohshin Khan Dargah is dedicated to the twentieth-century Uwaisi pir, or Sufi saint, who was influential in the region. Commissioned by Khan’s son and designed by the Bangladeshi architecture firm Sthapotik in 2022, the building is notable as a modern interpretation of the traditional dargah, or Sufi shrine. Built as an environmentally conscious, relatively small-scale structure, it employs local materials, natural light and ventilation, and incorporates elements from the region’s medieval sultanate architecture. Besides Khan’s own grave, the dargah also houses those of his wife, Begum Noorjahan, and his father, Shah Muhammad Ismail Khan Uwaisi. 

The dargah is situated in the residential neighbourhood of Shib Bari where Khan lived and taught his faith; it overlooks a pond and is surrounded by vegetation. It is a roughly cubical, red brick structure, with concrete used for the load-bearing framework and ceiling. A little over 7 metres tall, the shrine stands on a metre-high square plinth, which secures it against flooding and is ascended by stairs on one side and a ramp along another side. All four faces of the dargah consist of adjoining semi-circular turrets. The brickwork in the lower half follows the running bond pattern, while the upper half is perforated to allow ventilation and light, in a simple version of the jaali or latticework common in Indo-Islamic architecture. These turrets form the outer layer in a plan composed of a 6 x 6 grid of circles.

The square plan references those of traditional huts in Bengal as well as the most commonly used plan in historic Islamic tombs across the subcontinent. The dargah is inspired by the turreted, multi-domed mosques of the sultanate period, in particular the fifteenth-century Noy Gambuj or ‘Nine Dome’ Mosque in Bagerhat, southern Bangladesh, named for the nine domes forming its roof in a 3 x 3 grid. The same format has been revealed in the ruins of the eighth-century Noh Gonbad Mosque, Balkh, in northern Afghanistan. The Shah Muhammad Mohshin Khan Dargah multiplies this into a 6 x 6 grid of circular perforations on a flat roof, instead of domes, with a corresponding square-grid waffle ceiling on its underside. Each of the four faces of the building is inset with a simple, roughly 3-metre-square doorway at its centre, emphasising accessibility and intimacy over the grandeur often conveyed by traditional Islamic religious architecture.

The interior of the dargah is an undivided, square single-storey space. The floor is brick, over which mats and carpets are spread when the dargah is open to visitors. At its centre is a low square plinth made of marble, holding three marble sarcophagi, with a space left for the sarcophagus of Khan’s son, the dargah’s patron. Overhead, a cluster of sixteen exposed-concrete tubes almost 2 metres long are extended downward from the perforated circles on the roof, forming deep skylights.

This feature, called the ‘chandelier of paradise’, is central to the symbolism of the shrine — dargah in Persian translates to ‘portal’ and connotes the mausoleum’s religious function as a home for the deceased’s body while the soul ascends upwards to heaven and is blessed by celestial light. Traditionally this is symbolised by a centrally installed chandelier, interpreted here as hollow vertical passages that direct natural light onto the graves and the rest of the mausoleum chamber. In addition, the metal doorways on all four sides are decorated with geometric Islamic girih (knotwork) patterns and cutouts that throw daylight onto the floor in twelve-pointed-star patterns. 

The Dhaka-based architectural firm Sthapotik, led by Sharif Uddin Ahammed, is known for its traditionally-inspired, environmentally-responsive design practice. Besides the design elements adapted from vernacular and historic local architecture, this project employed local artisans and used materials sourced from near the site, such as the metal for the doors and the naturally baked bricks, made from the red clay widely available and commonly used in the region. This also served to keep building costs low to suit the limited budget for the project.

The Shah Muhammad Mohshin Khan Dargah is the site of annual festivities and observances surrounding urs or the pir’s death anniversary, as well as the offering of prayers throughout the year. In addition, the dargah regularly serves as space for religious discourse and inclusive discussion within the local community. Further plans for the dargah include the creation of an associated institution for religious knowledge and education.