Top Dhaka activities
Explore by category
Top Dhaka landmarks
Top Dhaka landmarks
Top Dhaka landmark tickets
Beyond Dhaka
Tours in nearby places
Explore Bangladesh tours
Tours in similar places
Dhaka trip ideas
Choose dates
Close
Star Mosque (Tara Masjid)
Abul Khairat Road, Dhaka, Dhaka Division
The basics
Although it was built in the early 19th century, the Star Mosque didn’t take its current form until recently. The original Mughal-style structure had almost no ornamentation, but several structural changes and additions—including the star mosaics—were added in the 1920s. The mosaics that adorn the pillars, walls, and white domes are predominantly blue petal-shaped stars on a white background and were done in the Chinitikri style. This uses broken shards of porcelain and bottles to create designs.
Travelers generally visit the Star Mosque independently or on private guided tours of the city, which include the highlights of Old Dhaka.
Great day with the best guide!
Cannot say enough how great the day was! Afridi, my guide, arrived on time at 8am and spent the whole day with me showing me around local areas and sights. He is extremely knowledgeable of the history, the culture and the important facts about the country. His english was very very good and he was very attentative and protective. He suggested a great place for biriani and we had lunch at the Old Town of Dhaka together! Cannot recomend him enough! Great work and looking forward to explore the Sundarbans together on my next visit!!
Eleni_Z, Feb 2024
Things to know before you go
Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Star Mosque, but it’s most appropriate to visit outside of prayer times.
Visitors should dress appropriately to visit the mosque: long clothes that cover the legs, shoulders, chest, and arms, and women should take a scarf to drape over their heads.
The pond in front of the mosque is often dry, but try to line up a shot with the mosque and the pond, as the large star design looks great in photos.
How to get there
The Star Mosque is in the Armanitola area of Old Dhaka. The easiest way to get there from other parts of the city is to take a CNG (auto-rickshaw). Drivers will usually know where it is.
When to get there
Time your visit to the Star Mosque to avoid prayer times. This generally means avoiding visiting on a Friday and during the five prayer times throughout the day on other days of the week. You may find the mosque closed outside prayer times, but the caretaker there can let you in.
Visit Dhaka’s Armenian Church
Another Old Dhaka landmark is the Armenian Church, near the Star Mosque. The small whitewashed church was built in the late 18th century by the city’s Armenian Orthodox community, who had lived in Dhaka for many decades. It’s a great place to learn about Dhaka’s layers of history and culture. It’s a popular tourist attraction and gets plenty of visitors, but it no longer has any parishioners and doesn’t hold weekly masses.
EN
5b4e8624-0a11-44cd-a6c2-127fe13b2cea
attraction_detail_overview
- Things to do in Kolkata
- Things to do in Thimphu
- Things to do in Paro
- Things to do in Bhubaneswar
- Things to do in Mandalay
- Things to do in Lhasa
- Things to do in Kathmandu
- Things to do in Varanasi
- Things to do in Pokhara
- Things to do in Yangon
- Things to do in West Bengal
- Things to do in Odisha
- Things to do in Tibet
- Things to do in Northern Thailand