The Architect Marina Tabassum HerStory Foundation

Jul 10, 2026

A children’s inspirational biography about Marina Tabassum, a young girl in independent Bangladesh who develops a passion for architecture after being inspired by the Parliament. Her designs prioritize natural light and air, creating spacious, story-filled spaces rather than conventional apartment work. In Dhaka, she establishes a studio and helps codesign the Independence Museum and the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, winning international recognition. The narrative emphasizes freedom, imagination, and inclusive dreaming through simple, red-brick spaces.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Marina Tabassum’s Dream

Using Light, Air, and Natural Elements

Choosing Meaningful Work in Dhaka

Architecture Studio and Major Projects

Bait Ur Rouf Mosque and Awards

HerStories Collection and Publishing Credits

The Architect: Marina Tabassum HerStory Foundation Kazi Istela Imam Supergirl Marina Tabassum grew up in independent Bangladesh, when there was a lot rebuilding to do after the war . Marina was very inspired by an amazing building in the city: the Parliament. She dreamed of one day becoming an architect—a designer of buildings. Marina studied very hard and imagined fantastic structures . While other students were planning to build with bricks, cement and wood, Marina wanted to make use of natural elements: light and air. Her building designs were spacious and breezy, with strange and interesting rooms, nooks and passages. Marina lived in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and the city was growing very fast, with new buildings coming up everyday. She was offered many jobs to build apartments, but she was not interested in that kind of work; so she said, “No, thankyou.” Marina did not want to waste time on projects she did not believe in. What she really wanted to do was to make buildings that told stories. 4 Marina started an architecture studio and created fantastic designs; rooms with water pillars, walls with holes and ceilings with fountains. In time, the sketches became gorgeous structures . In this way, she codesigned the Independence Museum in Dhaka, an underground gallery with an upside down fountain! One of Marina’s most important works is the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, for which she won an international award. It is a very simple space where girls and boys can come to pray and spend time dreaming and thinking. It is made entirely of red-bricks, and there are many openings in the walls and roof to let in air and light. Marina designs buildings for a future where people are free to be themselves—girls and boys alike! 7 This inspiring story is part of the HerStories collection originally created by the HerStory Foundation and adapted into individual books in collaboration with The Asia Foundation’s Let’s Read initiative. For more information about HerStory, please visit [www.herstorybd.org](www.herstorybd.org) Brought to you by Let’s Read is a program of The Asia Foundation that supports early reading skills and habits to develop our next generation of critical thinkers and creative innovators in Asia and the Pacific. To read more books like this and get further information, visit: [letsreadasia.org](letsreadasia.org) Original Story The Architect: Marina Tabassum. Author: HerStory Foundation. Illustrator: Kazi Istela Imam. Editor: Zareen Mahmud Hosein, Katerina Don, Anita Amreen, Tairan Razzak. Published by The Asia Foundation-Let’s Read, © The Asia Foundation-Let’s Read. Released under CC-BY-NC-4 .0. This work is a modified version of the original story. @ The Asia Foundation, 2020. Some rights reserved. Released under CC-BY-NC-4 .0. For full terms of use and attribution, [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) Contributing translators: Eric Langendorff

FAQs

What inspired Marina Tabassum to become an architect?

Marina was inspired by an amazing building in her city: the Parliament. She dreamed of designing buildings one day.

What design ideas did Marina Tabassum focus on for her buildings?

She wanted to use natural elements, especially light and air, creating spacious, breezy rooms with interesting passages and niches.

Which major mosque project earned Marina an international award?

Marina’s important work on the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque earned her an international award.

Jul 10, 2026

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