Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Masjid: Keraniganj mosque wins Unesco award

Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque, situated in Keraniganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, has won the "Award of Merit" in the 2021 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Popularly known as "Daroga Masjid", the mosque was constructed by Daroga Aminuddin Ahmed in 1868.

After Aminuddin's son Moiz Uddin Ahmed, brothers Khidir and Kader Baksh, Moiz's relatives, continued the mosque's construction and renovation.

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

Later, his son State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid took an initiative for its restoration, keeping the main infrastructure intact.

Architect Abu Sayeed M Ahmed finished it in 2018.

Meanwhile, the historic Nizamuddin Basti, a slum in the Indian capital, has received the Award of Excellence 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 under the awards, the UN body said in a release.

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.