A view of the historic Ghaibi Mosque, that dates back to Mughal era, on the east side of the road adjacent to the BGB camp in Cox's Bazar town- FE Photo COX'S BAZAR, Mar 08: A historic mosque in Cox's Bazar, which is believed to have been built during the Mughal era, stands conspicuously, catering to the interests of all enthusiasts, especially tour lovers.
The structure, popularly known as Ghaibi Mosque or Potka Mosque, dates back around 400 to 600 years; though there is no official record of who built it.
Said to be the first mosque in Cox's Bazar, it is officially called in a modern name, 'Sachi Chowdhury Jame Mosque'.
There seems to be no end to the mystery centring round this mosque. Locals believe that jinns (spirits) pray in this mosque at night. The deeper the night gets, the more jinns come.
The mosque is located on the eastern side of the road adjacent to the BGB camp in Cox's Bazar town. The structure stands with a dome in the middle of a rice field in the BGB camp area of Ward No. 5 of the Cox's Bazar Municipality, north of the bus terminal.
Apart from the Muslim community, people from different religious groups including Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians come to this mosque. People visit this historic mosque making various wishes to fulfill their hopes. Foreign tourists also come to visit this site in a large number.
During a visit, it can be seen that the mosque is very small in size. There is a huge pond on its north side. Inside the mosque, it is 23 feet long from north to south, 14 feet from east to west. Outside, it is 34 feet long from north to south and 26 feet from east to west.
In front of the mosque, or on the east side, there is a verandah of five or six feet. In front of it is an open courtyard.
The main pillars of the mosque are four in number. It has only one door , which is five feet high. There are two windows- each is four and a half feet high and about three feet wide.
Currently, the floor of the mosque is five to six feet deep. There are three domes on the roof of the mosque.
Tiles have been placed on the floor of the mosque. As a result, it is difficult to say how deep the main floor is. Only 50 people can pray together in this mosque.
The Chattogram Division Information Service said that a mosque was built during the reign of Shah Shuja in AD 1600-1700 . It is also known as Chowdhurypara Mosque or Ajgubi Mosque. Gias Uddin Chowdhury, president of the mosque management committee, said that no one knows the exact information or history of who actually built the mosque.
It is not even known how many years ago it was built. Many say that this mosque must be at least 400 or 600 years old.
Locals said that where there was a verandah in front of the main mosque, a new mosque has now been added.
The verandah area of about seven rows has now been made two-storey for prayers.
In addition, there is a floored open space on the north side of the mosque. There is a graveyard in a large area on the southeast side of the mosque. A huge pond is also there in the north. Overall, the worshippers find peace by offering prayers in the naturally beautiful environment.
The construction style and architectural beauty of the mosque catches everyone's attention. The walls of the mosque are about five feet wide. No iron has been used anywhere. The walls and domes of the mosque are made of lime and lead. There is a huge dome in the mosque. Local resident Gafur Uddin said it is popularly believed that jinns (spirits) have been saying prayers in the mosque for a long time.
Therefore, general worshipers do not stay inside till late night.
People of other religions also come to the mosque every day with belief that their desires would be fulfilled because of visiting this 'sacred site'.
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