Dhaka is the city I was born and brought up in. Being the capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka is the center of all kind of happiness and sorrows of the country. It is the city of loves and tears, ups and downs, lives and deaths and every aspect of life. You can see high rise buildings beside a natural lake, whereas you can also see slums and cottages beside fantastic international shopping mall. The city is alive throughout each and every moment of the day. Vehicles are running on the road, and so are the people. There is a rush seen everywhere - whether it is a school going child, an office worker or a rickshaw puller. Rich people have their own cars, but most of the people here use public transports such as bus or hire an auto-rickshaw. But rickshaws are the most widely used transport system here. Most of the people use rickshaw for short distance travels. Rickshaws are the cheapest mode of transport of the city and so the rickshaw pullers have to lead a very hard life. There is also a large number of garments factory in the city and they are one of the greatest source of income of the country. A great many number of women and girls work in these factories. The garments sector is the greatest source of income of our country. The clothes are exported to different parts of the world which earns a lot of foreign exchange that builds up the economy of our country.
The history of Dhaka dates back to the Mughal Empire. Emperor Akbar tried to conquer Bengal, especially Dhaka for several times but he didn't succeed. The geography of Bangladesh was too hostile for the invaders of the desert, as well were the people. The king of the then Dhaka was Isha Kha, who organised and performed many successful battle against the mughals to protect Dhaka. The capital of Isha Kha was in Sonargaon, which is presently situated in the Narayanganj district just beside the new Dhaka city. After Isha Kha, his son Musa Kha also fought against the mughals very bravely. But he was defeated by Mughal Emperor Jahangir and thus Bengal went under mughal empire. The mughal emperors were amazed at the beauty of Dhaka city. They loved it, rebuilt it and decorated it in a different way. They built many mosques in the city and thus Dhaka was named as the "city of mosques" which prevails till today. Mughal emperors also built many forts in Dhaka city which were used to live by the royal families and to fight against the enemies. Some of these forts are - Lalbagh fort, Ahsan Manjil etc. The forts present a nice view of the past and shows the beauty of mughal architecture. They are one of the greatest tourist attractions of today Bangladesh. Dhaka is famous for its abundance of street foods and variety of taste also.
While talking about the tourist attractions of Dhaka, let's focus on the ancient and historical ones first. The palace of Isha Kha, which I have mentioned earlier is situated on the bank of Shitalakshya river. It is the greatest and most majestic palace in the history of Bengal. The place was turned to the Folk Arts museum of Bangladesh by the famous artist Joynul Abedin. Now it is a great place to visit during the holidays. The museum remains closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so you have to plan your visit on the other days of the week. The palace itself is the example of one of the greatest architectural beauty of Bangladesh. There is a lake in front of the two - stored palace where you can enjoy a quiet and pleasant boat journey. A few kilometers away from the palace is the Panam city - a famous business city of Bangladesh. The city is totally deserted now, except for the temple there. High buildings made by the ancient businessmen where none lives now gives the people passing by the street a blast from the past. While you walk through the streets with only silence and ancient historic buildings all around you - the mild breeze touching and passing by you, the whole thing feels like talking to oneself and being with oneself. This is the best experience one can have in the city of Dhaka. You can also pay a visit to the Jamdani Palli of Narayanganj where the weavers and craftsmen make traditional jamdani sarees which are very dear to the ladies of the country.
Let's come to Lalbagh fort now. It is the most attractive and politically important fort built by the mughals covering a large area of land in old Dhaka. Subadar Islam Kha ruled Dhaka from here. He started to build the fort, which was later completed by his son, Subadar Azam Khan. You can reach Lalbagh fort by a one hour journey by auto-rickshaw from new Dhaka. The whole fort is surrounded by high rising and strong walls which were used to protect the fort from invaders and to attack on the enemies not exposing oneself. The bedrooms and other rooms present a majestic view till now. The tomb of Paribibi, the daughter of Islam Khan is also inside the fort. There is a place named "Darbar Hall" which was the courtroom of Islam Khan. The most important of all is a pond inside the fort which was reserved for the queens and princesses of the fort only. They used to bath, gossip and pass time here. But later on, after the mughal empire was finished - the pond encountered with various horrific and tragic events. The soldiers of the fort protested against the British Empire and they were slaughtered. Their bodies were thrown away to the pond and the blood made the large pond red. Similar case happened when the pakistani rulers were oppressing our country. The remaining soldiers of Lalbagh fort revolted against the autocratic ruler Ayub Khan. The soldiers were brush-fired and thrown away in the large pond and thus the pond encountered with another tragic event of the history. After that, the history of Lalbagh fort cam to an end, but till today it is one of the most prominent tourist spots of Bangladesh.
There are many much to visit in new Dhaka also. The historic movements of our country like the Language Movement, the Mass Movement of 1966, the Liberation War of 1971 and the Shahbag Movement of 2013 - all were centered and organized from Dhaka. The students of Dhaka University, the highest educational institute of the country have always played a leading role in the movements against the oppressors or demanding justice. Commemorating the great sacrifice the heroic sons of the soil did for our mother language, the Shaheed Minar stands near the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Every year on 21st February, the people of Bangladesh gathers in front of the Shaheed Minar. Morning processions called "pravatferries" are arranged. People sing "Amar Vaier Rokte Rangano Ekushe February" and offer flowers in the Shaheed Minar. Ekushe Book Fair is arranged by Bangla Academy throughout the month of February to commemorate and respect the valiant Language martyrs. There are many places in Dhaka where large numbers of Bengali Intellectuals and common people were killed by brutal pakistani army in 1971. These places are preserved and visited by the mass people with due respect. Some of the places are - Rayerbazar, Mirpur etc. People visit Bangabandhu National Museum situated at Dhanmondi 32 to commemorate and show respect to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was the pioneer of our independence and was shot along with most of his family members by some amiss army officers on 15 August, 1975. Every year we observe the day as our National Mourning day. Our National Memorial stands at Savar, a few miles away from Dhaka city. It is built to commemorate and show profound respect to the martyrs of Liberation war. People mostly visit the memorial on 26 March ( Our Independence Day ) and on 16 December (Our Victory Day ) and show due homage to the valiant freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the sake of an independent Bangladesh.
Also there are some public gathering places like Chobir Hat, Dhanmondi Lake etc in Dhaka city. People gather there during their free times, do exercises, gossip and pass their time rather happily. The natural scenario of these places are so quiet and beautiful that students of various Fine Arts Institutes come here and create various beautiful paintings of the nature. There is also a public library in Shahbag, Dhaka. It has a wide range of reading facilities available and children's corner as all. The books here range from science to history, cooking to travel, fiction, non-fiction and everything in the world. There is also an auditorium attached to it where various kind of seminars and movies go all along the year. Our National Museum is just few steps away from the public library and it contains the ancient histories, cultures and heritages of our country. There are also some amusement parks in the city where many kinds of fantastic rides are available. So, in total Dhaka is one of the most amazing cities of the world. She has an affection which bounds each and every people walking on her with a great love to each other and to the city. If it comes to the best city of the world, I am sure to name Dhaka as the first candidate of the list...
While talking about the tourist attractions of Dhaka, let's focus on the ancient and historical ones first. The palace of Isha Kha, which I have mentioned earlier is situated on the bank of Shitalakshya river. It is the greatest and most majestic palace in the history of Bengal. The place was turned to the Folk Arts museum of Bangladesh by the famous artist Joynul Abedin. Now it is a great place to visit during the holidays. The museum remains closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so you have to plan your visit on the other days of the week. The palace itself is the example of one of the greatest architectural beauty of Bangladesh. There is a lake in front of the two - stored palace where you can enjoy a quiet and pleasant boat journey. A few kilometers away from the palace is the Panam city - a famous business city of Bangladesh. The city is totally deserted now, except for the temple there. High buildings made by the ancient businessmen where none lives now gives the people passing by the street a blast from the past. While you walk through the streets with only silence and ancient historic buildings all around you - the mild breeze touching and passing by you, the whole thing feels like talking to oneself and being with oneself. This is the best experience one can have in the city of Dhaka. You can also pay a visit to the Jamdani Palli of Narayanganj where the weavers and craftsmen make traditional jamdani sarees which are very dear to the ladies of the country.
Let's come to Lalbagh fort now. It is the most attractive and politically important fort built by the mughals covering a large area of land in old Dhaka. Subadar Islam Kha ruled Dhaka from here. He started to build the fort, which was later completed by his son, Subadar Azam Khan. You can reach Lalbagh fort by a one hour journey by auto-rickshaw from new Dhaka. The whole fort is surrounded by high rising and strong walls which were used to protect the fort from invaders and to attack on the enemies not exposing oneself. The bedrooms and other rooms present a majestic view till now. The tomb of Paribibi, the daughter of Islam Khan is also inside the fort. There is a place named "Darbar Hall" which was the courtroom of Islam Khan. The most important of all is a pond inside the fort which was reserved for the queens and princesses of the fort only. They used to bath, gossip and pass time here. But later on, after the mughal empire was finished - the pond encountered with various horrific and tragic events. The soldiers of the fort protested against the British Empire and they were slaughtered. Their bodies were thrown away to the pond and the blood made the large pond red. Similar case happened when the pakistani rulers were oppressing our country. The remaining soldiers of Lalbagh fort revolted against the autocratic ruler Ayub Khan. The soldiers were brush-fired and thrown away in the large pond and thus the pond encountered with another tragic event of the history. After that, the history of Lalbagh fort cam to an end, but till today it is one of the most prominent tourist spots of Bangladesh.
There are many much to visit in new Dhaka also. The historic movements of our country like the Language Movement, the Mass Movement of 1966, the Liberation War of 1971 and the Shahbag Movement of 2013 - all were centered and organized from Dhaka. The students of Dhaka University, the highest educational institute of the country have always played a leading role in the movements against the oppressors or demanding justice. Commemorating the great sacrifice the heroic sons of the soil did for our mother language, the Shaheed Minar stands near the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Every year on 21st February, the people of Bangladesh gathers in front of the Shaheed Minar. Morning processions called "pravatferries" are arranged. People sing "Amar Vaier Rokte Rangano Ekushe February" and offer flowers in the Shaheed Minar. Ekushe Book Fair is arranged by Bangla Academy throughout the month of February to commemorate and respect the valiant Language martyrs. There are many places in Dhaka where large numbers of Bengali Intellectuals and common people were killed by brutal pakistani army in 1971. These places are preserved and visited by the mass people with due respect. Some of the places are - Rayerbazar, Mirpur etc. People visit Bangabandhu National Museum situated at Dhanmondi 32 to commemorate and show respect to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was the pioneer of our independence and was shot along with most of his family members by some amiss army officers on 15 August, 1975. Every year we observe the day as our National Mourning day. Our National Memorial stands at Savar, a few miles away from Dhaka city. It is built to commemorate and show profound respect to the martyrs of Liberation war. People mostly visit the memorial on 26 March ( Our Independence Day ) and on 16 December (Our Victory Day ) and show due homage to the valiant freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the sake of an independent Bangladesh.
Also there are some public gathering places like Chobir Hat, Dhanmondi Lake etc in Dhaka city. People gather there during their free times, do exercises, gossip and pass their time rather happily. The natural scenario of these places are so quiet and beautiful that students of various Fine Arts Institutes come here and create various beautiful paintings of the nature. There is also a public library in Shahbag, Dhaka. It has a wide range of reading facilities available and children's corner as all. The books here range from science to history, cooking to travel, fiction, non-fiction and everything in the world. There is also an auditorium attached to it where various kind of seminars and movies go all along the year. Our National Museum is just few steps away from the public library and it contains the ancient histories, cultures and heritages of our country. There are also some amusement parks in the city where many kinds of fantastic rides are available. So, in total Dhaka is one of the most amazing cities of the world. She has an affection which bounds each and every people walking on her with a great love to each other and to the city. If it comes to the best city of the world, I am sure to name Dhaka as the first candidate of the list...
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