(BSS) - Well-decorated good-looking `Darus Salam Jame Masjid`, located on the top of a mountain in Rangamati, has now drawn attention of the Muslims community here.

This aesthetic mosque was built in Ruilui para in Rangamati, a city in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in southern Bangladesh, from where the melodious sound of the call for prayers (Azan) comes from the minaret of the mosque.

Surrounded by green shrubbery and nature, the mosque stands on 1,700 feet above the sea level, it is located on Ruilui Para of Sajek Valley in Baghaichhari Upazila of Rangamati district in the CHT region.

The mosque was built at the cost of Taka 3 crore, 85 lakh, 65 thousand and 788 on about an acre of land, earlier donated by the army.

This beautiful mosque, standing on a four-storey foundation, is 22 feet high. It has four domes and a tall minaret. The east-west length of the mosque is 65 feet, the north-south width is 81 feet, and the total area is 5,265 square feet.

Earlier, on February 2, in 2020, the foundation stone of the mosque was laid next to the helipad in Ruilui Para, Sajek by the then GOC of the army`s 24th Infantry Chittagong Division Major General SM Matiur Rahman.

Talking to the BSS, Pesh Imam and Khatib of Darus Salam Jame Mosque, Md Moniruzzaman said, "The formal prayers at this mosque began with the Esha and Khatam Tarawih prayers of the first Ramadan of 2022.

Currently, in addition to the five-time daily congregational prayers, Jumma and Khatam Tarawih prayers are also offered here. Like every year, two Hafizs have been appointed for Tarawih prayers. Local businessmen and numerous tourists participate in these congregations, he added.

Locals said an average of about three thousand tourists gather at Sajek every day. But on the special holidays, the number increases to 15 to 20 times.

Most of them are Muslim tourists. Due to the lack of a mosque, religious Muslim tourists have faced a lot of difficulties in offering prayers for so many years.

However, now tourists visiting Sajek can offer prayers at this mosque comfortably.

Tourists are very excited to have the opportunity to offer prayers in such a beautiful mosque in a deserted environment amidst the greenery of nature.

Sohel Arman, a tourist visiting Sajek from the capital Dhaka, told BSS, "I had come here once four years ago. Since there was no mosque, I could not offer prayers in any congregation. However, this time, I feel a different kind of peace after coming here and being able to worship the Creator in such a peaceful and serene environment of the mosque."

General Secretary of the Darus Salam Mosque Management Committee Ziaul Haque Juboraj said, "The overall expenses of this mosque are met by donations from the Baghaihat Zone of the Army, local cottage-resort-restaurant businessmen and tourists."

He said due to the high mountains, water is not available in Sajek. As a result, all the water used in the mosque, including ablution, has to be purchased and used.
This mosque requires an average of 5,000 liters of water every day. At the cost of Taka one per liter of water, Tk 5,000 is spent daily on water alone, he mentioned.