BAGERHAT — The Sixty Dome Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is rapidly deteriorating because of climate change and rising salinity, officials and researchers said.
Cracks, peeling lime and white salt deposits are visible across the mosque’s walls, domes, pillars and especially the mihrab. Saline water rising from below is forming salt crystals inside the brickwork, weakening the structure’s core, officials said.
A joint study by Khulna University, the National Geographic Society and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) found that rising temperatures, industrial pollution, monsoon humidity and groundwater salinity are accelerating the damage.
The Department of Archaeology has formed a five-member expert committee, led by former director general Dr. Md. Shafiqul Alam, to plan urgent conservation work. The investigation found that the mihrab is at risk of collapsing at any time. Iron clamps used to hold the stone blocks together have rusted, reducing their load-bearing capacity, officials said.
Lovely Yasmin, the regional director, said a full damage map of the mosque would be prepared with UNESCO’s support and that conservation work would begin quickly with international experts. UNESCO Dhaka has also recommended interim emergency conservation measures, she said.
Experts warned that without swift action, the Sixty Dome Mosque could be placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger — a major setback for the country.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report