Dhaka is the capital and
largest city of Bangladesh.
Today's Dhaka has a long
story of evolution. It was
founded during the 10th
century. It served as the
Mughal capital of Bengal
from 1608 to 1704.Before
coming under British rule
in 1765 it was a trading
center for British, French,
and Dutch colonialism . In
1905 it was again named
the capital of Bengal, and
in 1956 it became the
capital of East Pakistan.
During the Bangladesh
war of independence
in1971 the city suffered a
heavy damage. In 1982
the spelling was changed
from ' Dacca' to 'Dhaka'.
Dhaka is located in the
geographic center of the
country. It is in the great
deltaic region of the
Ganges and Brahmaputra
rivers. The city is within
the monsoon climate
zone, with an annual
average temperature of 25
deg C (77 deg F) and
monthly means varying
between 18 deg C (64 deg
F) in January and 29 deg C
(84 deg F) in August.
Nearly 80% of the annual
average rainfall of 1,854
mm (73 in) occurs
between May and
September.
Dhaka is located in one of
the world's leading rice-
and jute-growing regions.
Its industries include
textiles (jute, muslin,
cotton) and food
processing, especially rice
milling. A variety of other
consumer goods are also
manufactured here. The
Muslim influence is
reflected in the more than
700 mosques and historic
buildings found
throughout the city. The
University of Dhaka (1921)
and several technical
schools and museums
are located here.
Attractions of
Dhaka
Mosques
Dhaka has
several hundred
mosques. Prominent are
Baitull Mukarram-National
Mosque, the seven
Domed Mosque (17th
century), Star Mosque
(18th century) ,
Chawkbazar Mosque and
Huseni Dalan Mosque.
Lalbagh Fort
It was
built in 1678 A.D. by
Prince Mohammad Azam,
son of Mughal emperor
Aurangazeb. The fort was
the scene of bloody battle
during the first war of
independence (1857)
when 260 sepoys
stationed here backed by
the people revolted
against British forces.
Outstanding among the
monuments of the
Lalbagh are the tomb of
Pari Bibi , Lalbagh
Mosque, Audience Hall
and Hammam of Nawab
Shaista Khan now
housing a museum.
Bahadur Shah Park
It
was built to
commemorate the
martyrs of the first
liberation war (1857-59)
against British rule. It is
said that the revolting
sepoys and their civil
compatriots were publicly
hanged here.
Bangabandhu Memorial
Museum
The residence
of the father of the nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman at
Dhanmondi has been
turned into a musuam. It
contains rare collection of
personal effects and
photographs of his
lifetime.
Mukti Juddha Museum
Situated at Segun Bagicha
area of the city the
museum contains rare
photographs of Liberation
war and items used by
the freedom fighters
during the period.
Ahsan Manzil Museum
On the bank of the river
Buriganga in Dhaka the
pink majestic Ahsan
Manzil has been renovated
and turned into a
museum recently. 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. The 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
displaying portraits,
furniture and household
articles and utensils used
by the Nawab.
Curzon Hall
Beautiful
architectural building
named after Lord Curzon.
It now houses the Science
Faculty of Dhaka
University.
Old High Court
Building : Originally built
as the residence of the
British Governor, it
illustrates a happy blend
of European and Mughal
architecture.
Dhaka Zoo : Popularly
known as Mirpur Zoo.
Colorful and attractive
collections of different
local and foreign species
of animals and birds
including the majestic
Royal Bengal Tiger are
available here.
National Museum :
Located at the central
point of the city, the
museum contains a large
number of interesting
collections including
sculptures and paintings
of the Hindu, Buddhist
and Muslim periods.
Botanical Garden : Built
on an area of 205 acres of
land at Mirpur and
adjacent to Dhaka Zoo.
One can have a look at the
zoo and the botanical
garden in one trip.
National Park : Situated
at Rejendrapur, 40 km.
north of Dhaka city , this
is a vast (1,600 acres)
national recreational forest
with facilities for picnic
and rowing etc.
Shahid Minar : Symbol of
Bengali nationalism. This
monument was built to
commemorate the
martyrs of the historic
Language movement of
1952.
