Discover the World | Exploring the Barobazar Ruins in Bangladeshi Farmland
Following the footsteps of Khan Jahan Ali, the creator of the world cultural heritage mosque city Bagerhat, in Barobazar of Jessore-Khulna district is not an easy task. Despite doing careful research in advance and even drawing a distribution map of various ancient sites for oneself, walking east along the main road of Barobazar village, one may still see green signs erected by the archaeological department at some intersections, but not every sign is available and they are not well-designed. Moreover, many relics are hidden in corners of the village or even in the middle of farmland, making them easy to miss. Therefore, the key is to ask for directions, and as for how to make the locals understand through language and body language, one can only rely on intuition and a bit of luck.
The man who helped me find Nungola Mosque took me through some field paths and village alleys to the collapsed Zame Mosque. Mosques with "Zame" in their names are usually not small, and this one is no exception, but it has completely collapsed, leaving only a circle of outer walls, there is nothing much to see.
Jahazghata: It was also seen on the road sign and then went to see it. As a result, the collapsed wall was gone, leaving only the foundation. Judging from the name, it is not a mosque, but a building like Jomindar Bari. I was inexplicably invited to visit a local family on the way, which even caused a sensation in the whole village. In the end, there were almost twenty children following me, asking this and that curiously. I couldn't understand a word, which was really embarrassing and helpless. However, a child who knew a little English said a sentence that I understood, which meant that the local government had no money to repair this collapsed ancient building.
Gorar Mosque: Borabazar is the most distinctive mosque in the group, with one large and three small domes that are very rare, and the decorative patterns on the exterior walls are also very beautiful. Following my child, we found the mosque's caretaker to open the door for us. Although the inside of the domes was covered with thick green moss, the mosque had new carpets and new Qurans placed in the niches, indicating that it is still in use.
Galakata Mosque: A typical Mughal mosque with three domes of equal size in a row. Located right by the roadside, it should be the easiest one to find.
Monohor Mosque: It is a very difficult one to find. This mosque has already collapsed, and it should have been quite large before it collapsed. According to the remaining foundation on the ground, it should be a 12-dome mosque, and there is also a circle of corridors on the east, south, and north sides. The locals have built a temporary prayer room with iron sheets on an area of less than four domes, and they are still struggling to fulfill their mission.