Dhaka Nagar Jadughar

Most of the city dwellers have no idea that there is a museum exclusively on the history of Dhaka. Even after two decades of its founding, the historical documents and artefacts preserved in the museum have failed to attract visitors.

The museum, Dhaka Nagar Jadughar, was established on the fifth floor of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) building in 1980s and formally opened on July 20, 1996.

Historical documents and artefacts from the Mughal era to the Liberation War of 1997 preserved at the museum feature the chronological development of Dhaka City.

Because of lack of attention and politicisation, the museum has been in a sorry state for years. Entering the museum, one can easily perceive that the city museum is one of the most neglected departments under the DCC.

Many captions of photographs and paintings portraying historic events and monuments are either destroyed or distorted, or unreadable.

The caretaker of the museum said the main problem in running the museum is fund constraints and manpower shortage. DCC does not allocate any budget or recruit manpower for the museum. As the museum is under Department of Social Welfare and Culture of DCC, three employees of the department take care of the museum.

The museum is run by a trust, which has not held any meeting for many years.

The caretaker said the only income source of the museum is ticket money collected from visitors but the turnover is not satisfactory.

Prof Muntasir Mamoon is the chairman of the trustee board. Prof Mamoon, artist Hashem Khan, architect-poet Rabiul Hossain, Prof Nazrul Islam and others took the initiative to set up the museum in mid 1980s.

When contacted, Prof Mamoon said, "The then mayor of DCC Mohammad Hanif allocated a space for the city museum and we handed over it to DCC in 1996. But the trustees do not have any communication with DCC since 1997.”

"I made an organogram for the museum headed by a curator and asked for a fixed budget. Initially Tk 10 lakh was allocated for the museum. But within a year after the official handover we observed that the mayor and the officials of DCC have no interest in it."

Disappointed at the negligence shown by the DCC, the trustees did not continue communication with the DCC, Prof Mamoon said.

On the genesis of the city museum, Prof Mamoon said, “Dhaka was declared as the capital of Bengal by Islam Khan in 1610. In mid 1980s I thought about celebrating the 400th anniversary of Dhaka City as the capital. I felt that we should establish a museum on Dhaka to celebrate the 400 years of the city.”

He said the idea of setting up the museum was to allow people to have a panoramic view of chronological history of Dhaka and its heritage.

"In fact the museum was the first of its kind in the South-east Asia and could be one of the most attractive sights of the city," said Prof Mamoon.

Initially Prof Mamoon and Hashem Khan donated Tk 50,000 to establish the museum. Besides, architect-poet Rabiul Hossain, urban expert Prof Nazrul Islam and others extended volunteer service to establish a quality city museum.

"Many philanthropists donated their rare collections. I donated the diaries of the British civilians, paintings and drawings by British artists featuring the landscape of Dhaka in 18th and 19th century and other important historical materials," said Prof Mamoon.

Artists through their imaginations have painted many historic moments for the museum.

Artist Hashem Khan said, "Artist Rafiqunnabi painted the historical moments such as the arrival of Subedar Islam Khan in Dhaka in 1610. With the captions Memory of Dhaka Rafiqunnabi and I also painted landscapes of old Dhaka in watercolour. Moreover, artist Abdur Razzaq donated his paintings on the landscape of Dhaka in 1950s."

"We collected a lot traditional craftworks used by the aristocrats during the Nawabi era. We could even collect the first printing machine of Dhaka," Hashem Khan added.

"As part of the museum, we established the Centre for Dhaka Study featuring research, archive and library," said Prof Mamoon.

However, in the last 12 years after the handover of the museum, DCC has collected only 25 portraits of Sardars of old Dhaka and a picture portraying former president Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury celebrating the Eid day with the members of Dhakabashi.

Of the published 13 books featuring the poetry, culture and planning of Dhaka, eight are available at present. And no research work has been done in the last 12 years.

Prof Mamoon said, "What does DCC do with the money collected from sale of the books and entree tickets?"

The Social Welfare and Cultural Officer of DCC, who is the head of Dhaka Nagar Jadugar, could not make any satisfactory answer. "I'm newly appointed. I'll try to give better service consulting with the trust members," he said.
by Ershad Kamol (the Daily Star)

Dhaka Nagar Jadughar

Most of the city dwellers have no idea that there is a museum exclusively on the history of Dhaka. Even after two decades of its founding, the historical documents and artefacts preserved in the museum have failed to attract visitors.

The museum, Dhaka Nagar Jadughar, was established on the fifth floor of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) building in 1980s and formally opened on July 20, 1996.

Historical documents and artefacts from the Mughal era to the Liberation War of 1997 preserved at the museum feature the chronological development of Dhaka City.

Because of lack of attention and politicisation, the museum has been in a sorry state for years. Entering the museum, one can easily perceive that the city museum is one of the most neglected departments under the DCC.

Many captions of photographs and paintings portraying historic events and monuments are either destroyed or distorted, or unreadable.

The caretaker of the museum said the main problem in running the museum is fund constraints and manpower shortage. DCC does not allocate any budget or recruit manpower for the museum. As the museum is under Department of Social Welfare and Culture of DCC, three employees of the department take care of the museum.

The museum is run by a trust, which has not held any meeting for many years.

The caretaker said the only income source of the museum is ticket money collected from visitors but the turnover is not satisfactory.

Prof Muntasir Mamoon is the chairman of the trustee board. Prof Mamoon, artist Hashem Khan, architect-poet Rabiul Hossain, Prof Nazrul Islam and others took the initiative to set up the museum in mid 1980s.

When contacted, Prof Mamoon said, "The then mayor of DCC Mohammad Hanif allocated a space for the city museum and we handed over it to DCC in 1996. But the trustees do not have any communication with DCC since 1997.”

"I made an organogram for the museum headed by a curator and asked for a fixed budget. Initially Tk 10 lakh was allocated for the museum. But within a year after the official handover we observed that the mayor and the officials of DCC have no interest in it."

Disappointed at the negligence shown by the DCC, the trustees did not continue communication with the DCC, Prof Mamoon said.

On the genesis of the city museum, Prof Mamoon said, “Dhaka was declared as the capital of Bengal by Islam Khan in 1610. In mid 1980s I thought about celebrating the 400th anniversary of Dhaka City as the capital. I felt that we should establish a museum on Dhaka to celebrate the 400 years of the city.”

He said the idea of setting up the museum was to allow people to have a panoramic view of chronological history of Dhaka and its heritage.

"In fact the museum was the first of its kind in the South-east Asia and could be one of the most attractive sights of the city," said Prof Mamoon.

Initially Prof Mamoon and Hashem Khan donated Tk 50,000 to establish the museum. Besides, architect-poet Rabiul Hossain, urban expert Prof Nazrul Islam and others extended volunteer service to establish a quality city museum.

"Many philanthropists donated their rare collections. I donated the diaries of the British civilians, paintings and drawings by British artists featuring the landscape of Dhaka in 18th and 19th century and other important historical materials," said Prof Mamoon.

Artists through their imaginations have painted many historic moments for the museum.

Artist Hashem Khan said, "Artist Rafiqunnabi painted the historical moments such as the arrival of Subedar Islam Khan in Dhaka in 1610. With the captions Memory of Dhaka Rafiqunnabi and I also painted landscapes of old Dhaka in watercolour. Moreover, artist Abdur Razzaq donated his paintings on the landscape of Dhaka in 1950s."

"We collected a lot traditional craftworks used by the aristocrats during the Nawabi era. We could even collect the first printing machine of Dhaka," Hashem Khan added.

"As part of the museum, we established the Centre for Dhaka Study featuring research, archive and library," said Prof Mamoon.

However, in the last 12 years after the handover of the museum, DCC has collected only 25 portraits of Sardars of old Dhaka and a picture portraying former president Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury celebrating the Eid day with the members of Dhakabashi.

Of the published 13 books featuring the poetry, culture and planning of Dhaka, eight are available at present. And no research work has been done in the last 12 years.

Prof Mamoon said, "What does DCC do with the money collected from sale of the books and entree tickets?"

The Social Welfare and Cultural Officer of DCC, who is the head of Dhaka Nagar Jadugar, could not make any satisfactory answer. "I'm newly appointed. I'll try to give better service consulting with the trust members," he said.
by Ershad Kamol (the Daily Star)

Tourist Spots in Dhaka

At first impression, Dhaka is a typically modern Third World capital with wide boulevards and cement-block towers, everything laid out in orderly fashion but in rapid states of decline. But on further investigation you discover that Dhaka is an old and venerable city in the true South Asian manner.

Dhaka's urban history is a reflection of the changing fortunes of the sub-continent as a whole. It was established by Buddhists in the 4th century, later dominated by Hindus and then fell into the hands of Muslim Mughal rulers in the 13th century.

This was the start of the golden age of Dhaka, when it became a great Mughal trading port and finally the capital of Bengal in 1608.


Baitul Mukarram

The Mughals built Dhaka into a magnificent city, with a sultan's palace, dozens of ornate mosques, covered markets, gardens and a huge citadel to protect it from pirates and foreign powers.

The Old City is a veritable labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys, difficult to find your way around without a guide. Running along the waterfront is the Bund, a bustling street that overflows with rickshaws and vendors, sweaty workmen in white loincloths humping goods up from the ghats, and eager commuters rushing down to the ferry piers.


Central Shahid Minar National Memorial National Assembly

There is something interesting around every corner. Ahsan Manzil, the palace of the last Nawab of Dhaka, stands just behind the waterfront. It's now fully restored.

The last of the great caravanserai is Chotta Katra. Istara Mosque with its unusual stellar motifs is the most interesting of the Muslim places of worship in the Old Town, while the old Armenian Church is one of the few remnants of the large community of Armenian and Greek traders who settled Dhaka in the late 18th century.

They weren't the only ones attracted by the dazzle of Mughal Dhaka.
Portuguese, Dutch, British and French all came here to trade during the 17th century, establishing their own enclaves along the waterfront. They tussled with one another for the favour of the Mughals, but it was the British who finally triumphed (as they did in most of India) and took Dhaka as their own in 1765.

Under the British an entirely new colonial city was built to the north of what became the Old Town. Great government buildings and posh bungalows arose along the shaded avenues. And Dhaka continued to prosper on trade, this time as a conduit of raw commodities from jute, sugar, tea and indigo plantations established by British planters in the interior of what was then Bengal province.


Ahsan Monzil Museum Lalbagh Fort National Museum

The Ramna area — the old British part of Dhaka — is still dominated by colonial buildings with Greek columns and whitewashed facades. This district is the artistic and intellectual heart of the whole nation, where you find the libraries, colleges, art galleries and the National Museum.

Lalbagh Fort : The Fort of Aurangabad, popularity known as the Lalbagh Fort was built in 1678 A.D. by Prince Mohammad Azam, son of Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb who was the then Viceroy of Bengal.

Suhrawardy Uddyan : Formerly known as the Race Course, Suhrawardy Uddyan is a popular park of the city. The Child Education & Recreation park (Shishu Park) is also located in a comer of this big Uddyan.
National Poet's Graveyard : National poet Kazi Nazrul Islam died on August 28, 1976 and was laid to rest here. The graveyard is adjacent to the Dhaka University Mosque.

Churches: Armmanian Church (1781). St. Mary's Cathedral at Ramna, Church of Bangladesh or former St. Thomas Cathedral (1677) at Tejgaon.


Baldha Garden Sonargaon

Bangabhaban: Tourists can have a look (outside view only) of Bangabhaban, the official residence of the President.

Zoological Garden: Called Mirpur Zoo, it is situated at Mirpur. 10 km. to northwest of Dhaka, on 230 acres of land.

Shahid Minar: Symbol of Bang-ladeshi nationalism, this was built to commemorate the martyrs of historic Language Movement of 1952.

Botanical Garden: Built over an area of 205 acres of land at Mirpur, just east of the Mirpur Zoo. Object of garden: botanical education, research, preservation of plants and some recreation.

1857 Memorial (Bahadur Shah Park): Built to commemorate the martyrs of the first liberation war (1857-59) against British rule, It was here that the revolting sepoys and their civil compatriots were publicly hanged.



River Tarakuta


National Museum: Housed in an impressive building the Museum contains a large number of interesting collections including sculptures, coins, paintings and inscriptions,

Ramna Green: Ramna Park is a vast stretch of green ground surrounded by a serpentine lake.

National Art Gallery: Situated in the Shilpakala Academy premises this has a representative collection of folk art and paintings by artists of Bangladesh.

Ahsan Manzil Museum: Located on the bank of river Buriganga in Dhaka. It is an example of the nations rich cultural heritage. It was the home of the Nawab of Dhaka and a silent spectator to many events. Today's renovated Ahsan Manzil is a monument of immense historical beauty. It has 31 rooms with a huge dome atop which can be seen from miles around. It now has 23 galleries in 31 rooms displaying portraits, furniture and household articles and utensils used by the Nawab.

Baldha Garden: Baldha Garden has rare collection of botanical plants and flowers.

National Assembly Complex: National Assembly Complex in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar designed by the famous architect Louis Kahn has distinctive architectural features.

Mosques: Dhaka is better known as a city of mosques.The number of mosques in Dhaka city—old and new—would be more that one thousand.

The only surviving monument of the pre-Mughal period in Dhaka is Binat Bibi's mosque (1457) in Narinda. Other monuments of the Sultanate period around Dhaka are the single-dome Goaldi Mosque (1493-1519) and Mosque of Fateh Shah at Mograpara (1484).

The earliest Mughal monument in Dhaka is the Eidgah, an open field for Eid prayers, located in Dhanmondi residential area.

One of the finest examples of Mughal mosque architecture in the 17th century is the three-domed Sat Gombuj mosque which appears to be seven domed, hence the name sat which means seven. Another typical example of architecture is the three-domed mosque built in 1679 and situated behind the old High Court building.

The mosque of Khan Mohamad Mridha located closer to the northwest corner of the Lalbagh fort was built in 1706. The only parallel to Mridha's two-storyed mosque is the five-dome Kartalab Khan's mosque at Begum Bazar near the Central Jail. This mosque was between 1700 and 1704. It has a graceful two-sided roofed, hut-shaped room along its northern face, which, with its curvilinear eaves, gives it a very distinctive look.

The Chowk Jame Mosque, according to an inscription found on the building was built in 1676. Perhaps one of the best known and frequently visited mosques in Dhaka is the petite Star Mosque in Armanitola which has an inlaid star pattern made of broken pieces of china. It was built in the early 18th century.
Baitul Mukarram, the National Mosque in the down town area is the forerunner of a number of strikingly beautiful modern mosques. It is modelled after the rectangular shape of the holy Kaaba in Mecca.

National Memorial: Located at Savar, in the suburb of Dhaka city, is the National Memorial. It was built to commemorate the martyrs of the war of independence, Jahangirnagar University and its sprawling campus is also located nearby.

Sonargaon: About 29 km. from Dhaka is one of the oldest capitals of Bengal. It was the seat of Deva dynasty until the 13th century. From this period onward till the time of the advent of the Mughals. Sonargaon was a subsidiary capital of the Sultanate of Bengal.

National Park: Situated at Rajendrapur, 40 km. due north of Dhaka within Joydevpur Thana in the magnificent Bhawal region on Dhaka-Trishal-Mymensingh Highway, this is a vast (1,600 acres) national recreational forest, ideal for those who love nature.
Wildlife Sanctuary : About 128 km. from Dhaka is Madhupur, an interesting wildlife and game sanctuary of the country.

River Cruise: During the dry winter months river cruise is available. The cruise provide an opportunity to have glimpse of riverine Bangladesh and its lash green countryside.

(Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), the national tourism organization and The Guide, a private tour operator runs regular city sightseeing tours and river cruise).