MORPHOLOGY OF A SACRED URBAN

NEIGHBORHOOD
SHAH JALAL DORGAH, LAMABAZAR AND SHAH PORAN , CASE OF THREE PROMINENT
SPOTS IN SYLHET.
CONTENT

 Abstract
 Introduction
 Sacred urban landscape and its elements
 Methodology
- Site selection
- Data collection
 Objectives
 Ethnicity in continues transition: The sylhet city
 Conclusion
 Reference
ABSTRACT
Abstract: Over the years, two separate spiritual streams have shaped Sylhet city, which is
considered as Bangladesh's spiritual capital. For thousands of years, Sylhet has been
renowned as a crossroads for political, cultural, ethnic, and religious movement, resulting
in a distinctive urban fabric in the city's morphology. Sylhet's spirituality is highly impacted
by two major schools of Islamic and Hindu religious thought, not in their traditional forms,
but in the forms of Sufism and Vaishnavism, which are deeply steeped in a spirit of
mysticism, humanity, and self-awareness. God is worshiped to at Akhadas and Mazars
rather than temples or mosques. The main technique to addressing the key research
problem was historic analysis and case study research of urban form; due to a lack of
literature data on the study area. The ultimate key to collecting information was on-site
field survey. Urban morphology Of sylhet is very vast. Many sacred religious places have
developed from the past to the present. Due to time constraints, all of these locations
cannot be explored in this study. Through the juxtaposition of sacred and community
space, these ritual hubs became the city's focal point, surrounded by public spaces, road
networks, and commercial areas. Mazars and Akhadas are truly a crossroads of culture that
transcends language, location, and race to give this precious land a spiritual identity and a
religious significance. This research focuses on these principles in regards of architecture
and urban design in order to produce a new approach for future academics and historians
to rethink their understanding of Sylhet.

Keywords – Urban Landscape, Sacred buildings, Mysticism, Ethnicity, Urban Morphology.

INTRODUCTION

• Creating a sense of continuity into the city.

• Solidarity and empowerment can occur with

- The sense of common purpose

- Shared values and Affinity

• Historic and sacred sites are part of that shared

heritage which forms an image of that city.

Fig : sylhet district map
SACRED URBAN LANDSCAPE AND ITS ELEMENTS

Sacred spaces have influenced historic cities for over a thousand years. Sacred spaces have given
towns and communities a deep meaning, influencing residents' quality of life, beliefs, and values.

ELEMENTS

Mosque Temple Church

HZ. Shah-Jalal Mazar mosque, Sri Sri Tin Mandir Shivabari, Sylhet Presbyterian church,
Sylhet Lamabazar, Sylhet Noyashorok
SACRED URBAN LANDSCAPE AND ITS ELEMENTS
ELEMENTS
Tombs

Tomb of Shah- Jalal Tomb of Shah- Poran

There are also others elements which are –

 Streets
 Plaza
 Open spaces
 Gardens
 Ancient trees
 Mounds,
 Riverbanks,
 Stones
METHODLOGY

Selection of study area

• The study area was selected

according to the objective of the
study. The area are -
- Dorgah Area
- Lamabazar
- Shahporan

Fig: Study area: Historic Urban District of Sylhet

Data collection

• Several projects were selected for detail on-site surveys.

• Primary data were collected by a site survey .

• Previously written books on the history of Sylhet city.

OBJECTIVES

• To understand how the practice of a religious stream can influential to construct an

urban context and to give a certain identity to a historic urban landscape.

• How religious values have been transformed to urban forms.

• To understand how urban morphology investigates urban forms, streets, and open

spaces from both cultural and philosophical perspectives.

ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY

Sylhet was an expanded commercial center from the ancient period which explains its original
namesake as ‘Sree Hotto’ means an enriched market place.

1300 1600 2010

Fig: A Map Showing Urban Growth of sylhet city
Courtesy: Bengal foundation

But since the medieval period to date, Sylhet is eminent for its locative landscape, diverse cultural
ethnicity and religious heritage value. Sufism was introduced in sylhet in these period.
ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY
By encroaching on urban infrastructure, claiming available space, creating textual morphologies,
and adopting new typological orders, the colonial and post-independence periods attempted to
give Sylhet city a conventionally urbanized image.

Fig: Tomb of Zindapir, juxtaposed between a commercial high-rise and street.

However, residents have innovated new ways of relating to the urban space by residing there
and appropriating it with new forms.
ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY
Sri Chaitanya Dev founder and propagator of Vaishnava Cult,
came to Sylhet in his early life. Vaishnavism as a historic
phenomenon played its role in the construction of Sylheti
socio-cultural trait.

The Sufism of the Middle East entered Bengal and was

influenced by Buddhism and Vaishnavism. As a result,
Sufism reached its more acceptable phase.

The last two decades have seen a rapid, unplanned urban

growth, but despite this, the alteration honors the existing
historic shrine and tombs through a mechanism of
juxtaposition.
Fig: Rapid urban growth along the pedestrian
approach road of Hazrat Shah Jalal (Rh) Mazar
ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY

2
6
3

1 5 2
4
5 3
2 4

1. Hz. Shahjala (Rh.) Mazar.

2. Mazars on hilltops.
3. Major intersections point.
4. Stadium, Rath-meela.
5. Administrative area.
6. Eidgah.
Fig: Showing major road networks & locations of selected road-adjacent mazars (Hazrat Shahjalal (Rh)’s Mazar is almost at the city center
& allows pedestrian interchange of four access roads) on satellite view of Sylhet city.
ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY
The sacred image of Sylhet city is typically generated by Akhadas and Mazar forms.

Fig: Upraised approaches to Hazrat Shahjalal & Hazrat Shahporan Mazar resembles the topographical context of the city.
ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY

Fig: Interior & exterior spaces of Shamsundar Akhada, Lamabazar, Sylhet.

ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY

Fig: Roadside Mazars giving a unique in visual integrity of the city as a sacred landscape.
ETHNICITY IN CONTINUOUS TRANSITION: THE SYLHET CITY

Fig: Roadside Mazars giving a unique in visual integrity of the city as a sacred landscape.
CONCLUSION
Based on the above discussion, few findings remarks could be drawn as a conclusion.

• The city of Sylhet has a distinctive urban morphology that includes religious architecture,

natural sites, road networks, topography.

• This gives an identity of shared landscape heritage.

• In terms of belief, faith, and sense of place, both Akhada and Mazars are associated with

intangible cultural values.

• Developing city like sylhet, this sacred place are under threat because of rapid urbanization.

• Community stakeholders can play an important role to conserve these scared heritage sites.
REFERENCE

• MORPHOLOGY OF A SACRED URBAN LANDSCAPE: Kawshik Saha, Rezwan Sobhan, Mohammad Nahyan.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347502854.
• Ahmed, W. (1999) Vaishnava Religion and Literature in Sylhet, Sylhet: History and Heritage,Ahmed, S.U. Ed.
Bangladesh Itihas Samiti, Dhaka. Pp.572-5.
• Barke, M. (2018). The Importance of Urban Form as an Object of Study. In Teaching Urban Morphology (pp. 11-30).
(Teaching Urban Morphology).Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76126-8_2
• Bertocci, P. (2006) J. A Sufi movement in Bangladesh: The Maijbhandari tariqa and its followers, Contributions to
Indian Sociology, Volume 40,pp1-28. Doi.org/10.1177%2F006996670504000101.
• Karim, A. (1999) Advent of Islam in Sylhet and Hazrat Shah Jalal (R), Sylhet: History and Heritage,Ahmed, S.U. Ed.
Bangladesh Itihas Samiti, Dhaka, pp.130-131.
• Moudon, A. V. (1997). Urban morphology as an emerging interdisciplinary field, Urban Morphology, Volume-1, pp.- 3-
10..
• https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Sylhet_District.
• https://www.traveltill.com/destination/Bangladesh/Sylhet/culture.php
• http://thehistoryofbangladesh.blogspot.com/2015/01/sylhet-division.html
• https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%9F
THANK
YOU