Choto Sona Mosque (ছোট সোনা মসজিদ)

Choto Sona Mosque, the Small Golden Mosque, stands in the Firozpur area of Shibganj in Chapainawabganj district, close to the border with India. It lies within the old city of Gaur, capital of the Bengal Sultanate. An inscription over the central doorway records that it was built by Wali Muhammad during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah, who ruled from 1493 to 1519.

The name comes from the gilding that once covered its domes and gave them a golden shine. The gold has long gone, but the name stayed, and it separates this mosque from the larger Boro Sona Mosque on the Indian side of Gaur. Writers have called it the gem of Sultanate architecture.

The mosque is a rectangular brick building faced inside and out with granite and basalt. It has fifteen domes in all. Three chauchala domes, shaped like curved Bengali hut roofs, run along the central aisle, with four rows of smaller hemispherical domes on each side. Five arched doorways open on the east front, and the walls carry dense carvings of hanging lamps, rosettes, vine scrolls and geometric panels. A raised women's gallery, once reached from outside, stands in the north-west corner.

The building was damaged by the 1897 earthquake and later repaired by the Department of Archaeology. The grave of Bir Sreshtho Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir, a hero of the 1971 Liberation War, lies in the mosque compound.

The mosque is still used for prayers. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, and there is no entry fee. Modest clothing is expected, and shoes must be removed inside.

Tahkhana and other ruins of old Gaur nearby

The Tahkhana complex, a short walk away, includes a two-storey building traditionally linked to Shah Shuja, the Mughal governor of Bengal, along with the shrine of the saint Hazrat Shah Niyamatullah and a three-domed mosque. Further out, Darasbari Mosque and the remains of Darasbari Madrasa, both of the Sultanate period, stand in fields a few kilometres away, and Khania Dighi Mosque is close to the same road.

The Daily Star has reported cracks in the walls and damage to the stone facing, and conservation work has been called for to protect the five-hundred-year-old building. Visitors can help by not climbing on the plinth or touching the carved panels. Winter, from November to February, is the most comfortable time for a full day among the Gaur ruins.