During the Mughal era, there was a security checkpoint in Karwan Bazar. At the entrance of the city, everyone was checked at this security checkpoint. Along with the checkpoint, there was a caravanserai. Most probably, over time, this caravanserai became known as Karwan Bazar.
In Karwan Bazar, the Karwan Bazar Mosque still survives. This three-domed mosque, built following the architecture of Subahdar Shaista Khan, the governor of the province, was once known as Khwaja Ambar’s Mosque. Khwaja Ambar was the chief khwaja of Shaista Khan. He built it around 1679-80, and in terms of antiquity, it ranks 22nd among the mosques of Dhaka. Its main feature is the mihrab made of black stones, which were brought from Rajmahal in India.
Khwaja Ahsanullah had endowed some lands for the maintenance of the mosque. The local people once raised funds to renovate it. Khwaja Ambar is buried right next to the mosque. To reach Khwaja Ambar’s mosque, one once had to cross a beautiful bridge known as Khwaja Ambar’s Bridge. It was located beside the Sonargaon Hotel on the present-day Eskaton Canal. This bridge was also built by Khwaja Ambar. However, in the 1960s, the bridge was demolished during the widening of the present-day Mymensingh Road.
