Sylhet Shahi Eidgah, or simply Shahi Eidgah, is an open prayer hall situated in Sylhet, north-east Bangladesh, three kilometers to the north-east of the guru nanak international circuit house, meant for the Eid prayers. It was built during the rule of Mughal Sultan Sarfaraz Khan. More than 100,000 people can perform prayer at same time in this eidgah. It is also one of the most visited tourist spots in the city. Recently, the gates were rebuilt to ensure safety and security. As well as for prayer uses and Islamic congregations, the eidgah has historically been a place to give speeches and host rallies by the likes of Mohandas Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. There have also been battles taken place there such as the Muharram Rebellion.
Shahi Eidgah grounds
Entrance at night
Front entrance on the left
Eidgah or Idgah, also Eid Gah or Id Gah is a term used in South Asian Islamic culture for the open-air enclosure usually outside the city reserved for Eid prayers offered in the morning of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. It is usually a public place that is not used for prayers at other times of the year. On the day of Eid, the first thing Muslims do in the morning is gather usually at a large open ground and offer special prayers, in accordance with the Sunnah. Although the usage of the term Eidgah is of Indian origin, it may be used for the musalla, the open space outside a mosque, or other open grounds where Eid prayers are performed, due to the lack of a specific Islamic term for a site of Eid observance. The Eidgah is mentioned in the famous Bengali poem by Kazi Nazrul Islam, O Mon Romzaner Oi Rozar Sheshe.
Gor-E-Shahid Eidgah Maidan, the largest Eidgah to exist
Piazza of Masjid al Nabawi sheltered by shading umbrellas
Farhad Khan's Shahi Eidgah in Sylhet, Bangladesh
Shahi Eid Gah Mosque, Multan, Pakistan