Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque, situated in Keraniganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, has won the 'Abdul Latif Al Fozan Award' as a model of Muslim architecture.

Seven mosques from all over the world were presented this award.

A total of 201 mosques of 43 countries from three continents participated in the competition. The award was given to Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque, popularly known as Lal Mosque, from a short list of 27 mosques.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the award board of trustees, and Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Governor of Madinah Province, were present at the awards ceremony in Al Madinah Al Munawara.

Read: Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque wins UNESCO award

The Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture was introduced in 2011, targeting the architectural, urban, and technical aspects of mosques all over the world.

Earlier, Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque won the ‘Award of Merit’ in the 2021 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

This old mosque was built in 1868.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said modernization must be done by preserving the heritage.

“Personally, I am very happy that this mosque has been associated with our family tradition and passion for over one and a half centuries, which is now earning international recognition one after another,” Hamid said.

Nasrul Hamid had taken an initiative for the restoration of the mosque keeping the main infrastructure intact.

Later, architect Abu Sayeed M Ahmed led the year-long restoration project, finishing it in 2018.