Dhaka
Dhaka (
previously Dacca;
Bangla: ঢাকা
Đhaka), population 12,560,000
[UN Population report, 2003] (
2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the
capital and largest city of
Bangladesh. It is also the administrative centre of Dhaka District. The city is situated on the
Buriganga River, at (23.7, 90.375). The city was founded more than 1500 years ago, and passed from local to Mughal rule, and later to the British. It became the capital of
East Pakistan in 1947, and later of
Bangladesh following its independence in 1971.
Dhaka is undergoing an expansion into a modern
metropolis, and it is the political, cultural, commercial and industrial heart of the country - many national and international financial institutions, modern industries and businesses are based there. The city's population enjoys a comparatively high literacy and health rate, even though large segments of the population live in slums, mired in poverty. Pollution and overpopulation are rising problems even as tall, modern buildings, shopping centres and planned housing settlements take their place in the city's skyline.
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The Shaheed Minar, located near Dhaka Medical Collge, commemorates the Language Movement of 1952 |
Dhaka is known to be in existence since the 7th century A.D. It grew as an urban center, when it became the provincial capital of
Mughal Bengal in
1608. The city passed to
British rule in 1765. It became the capital of
East Pakistan in 1947. In 1971, the city became capital of the newly independent country
Bangladesh. It was
formerly known under the spelling
Dacca.
The origin of the name of Dhaka is shrouded in mystery. Some believe that it is derived from the
Dhakeshwari Temple, which was originally built around 12th century by a
Sena King. Others believe that the name is derived from the
Dhak (drum), which was beaten during the inauguration of the capital in
1608 by the
Mughal Subahdar, Islam Khan. Dhaka was also known as
Jahangir Nagar for some time during the
Mughal period in honor of the Mughal Emperor
Jahangir.
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The 3 leader mousoleum commemorates Bhasani, Nazimuddin, and Shohrawardy, 3 national leaders. |
In 1947, Dhaka became the administrative capital and largest city of
East Pakistan. Its population expanded considerably owing to the development of industries, and an influx of migrants from
India and settlers from
West Pakistan. The city saw great political unrest, strikes and agitation during the
Language Movement, and under
martial law from 1969 to 1971, it was the scene of the
Bangladesh Liberation War, in which thousands of Bengali civilians were killed by
Pakistan Army. The city has also seen civil and political violence, strikes and unrest throughout its history as the capital of Bangladesh.
Modern Dhaka has vastly outgrown the so-called Old Dhaka. Statistically, its population has grown to around 13 million during recent decades, due to a population shift from rural areas. Old Dhaka with its important port and various historical sites can still be found at the southern end of the sprawling and disorganised modern city. Though some parts of the city is still not well-developed, places like Gulshan, Banani, Motijheel etc. are shaping up into a modern city.
Dhaka City Corporation is a self-governing corporation that is associated with the task of running the affairs of the city. The incorporated area is divided into several wards. Each ward has an elected ward commissioner. The mayor of the city is elected by popular vote every five years. The city is divided into ten parliamentary constituencies. Whichever party has won the parliamentary elections have also tended to win the majority of the seats inside the capital. Ramna contains the Secretariat, which houses most of the government ministries, the residences of senior Government officials, and is also the seat of the
Supreme Court.
Landmarks and tourist attractions in the city include:
* the
Dhakeshwari ("Goddess of Dhaka") temple, from which the city probably derives its name
* the
Bara Katra palace
*
Hoseni Dalan* the
Lal Bagh Fort-Moghul Fort built by Shaista Khan , uncle of Emperor Aurangzeb
*
Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban (the National Assembly building), designed by the architect
Louis Kahn*
Ahsan Manzil - The "Pink Palace"; now a museum, the building is poorly maintained.
*
Baitul Mukarram - The national
mosque.
*
Bangabandhu stadium - The national
stadium.
*
Fantasy Kingdom - An amusement
park |
Street hawkers near Topkhana Road in Dhaka, July 2001. Photo: James R. Bierman. |
Bangladesh's largest city is the image of
Bengali culture and diversity. There are many descendants of the millions who migrated from
India in 1947, including a small community of
Bihari Muslims. The vast majority of the people are
Muslims, but there are significant
Hindu,
Christian and
Buddhist communities.
Bengali is the most widely-spoken language, while
English and
Urdu are understood and spoken by some demographics. There are many english medium schools in the city, and a partial portion of the population is very modernised.
The inhabitants of old Dhaka are called
Kuttis, and have distinctive dialects and culture. However, Dhaka being the capital, people from all around
Bangladesh have migrated to the city, and now vastly outnumber the original inhabitants.
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Sadarghat port in Dhaka, Bangladesh |
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Panthapath Commercial District |
Dhaka is also the commercial heart of Bangladesh, its gateway to the world. Dhaka's energy and communications infrastructure is the most modern available in the country, and it accounts for much of Bangladesh's net GDP growth. Most of Bangladesh's skilled workers and college graduates are employed in businesses and industries based in and around the Dhaka metropolitan area.
Motijheel is the major business district, containing the headquarters of most of the country's banks and corporate houses, as well as that of the central
Bangladesh Bank. The
Dhaka Stock Exchange is the country's largest share market. Since 1996, the Bangladeshi government has steadily moved away from
socialism and adopted free-market reforms. Dhaka also has the largest shopping mall in South Asia, a great economical boost for the nation.
, Dhaka's largest shopping mall and the largest shopping mall in South Asia]]Dhaka has been the recipient of the boom in foreign investment, service industries and information technology. Dhaka gives the lead to economic growth to the rest of the country. However, poverty, lack of basic services, illiteracy and poor sanitation are still serious problems for the city, as they are for the rest of Bangladesh. Torrential rains and floods cause terrible damage to the city's infrastructure and economy, and most seriously to the population, reducing any benefits of previous improvements and growths.
The main mode of transportation in Dhaka city is non-motorized
cycle rickshaws. Almost 320,000 rickshaws are run in the Dhaka city every day, of these, 70,000 of them are officially registered
[Report, Daily Prothom Alo]. Rickshaws have been blamed for causing traffic congestion, and have been banned from some major city roads despite their low cost and low pollution levels. The next important means of transport are public buses. Although the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) operates some local and long distance buses there are many (often unregulated) private bus operators such as Salsabeel, Anabeel, Pink, Metrolink, Anik and many other transport companies who provide local bus services as well as premium non-stop bus services between the downtown and the suburbs. Although cheap, these buses are often very crowded.
Before 2002, Dhaka was plagued with pollution from two-stroke 3-wheeler taxis or scooters (locally called
Baby Taxi, each carrying about 3 passengers) and human haulers (locally called
Tempo, each carried about 10 people). More than 50,000 smoke-emitting taxis polluted the air with carbon-monoxide, lead, and other hazardous compounds. A Government-ban on two-stroke vehicles in 2002 helped clear the air. Since then, the two-stroke taxis have been replaced by four-stroke Green taxis which run on Compressed
Natural gas or CNG. A low number of CNG refilling stations created a problem initially, but Government subsidies and allocation of land for such stations have encouraged the establishment of a sufficient number of CNG stations. The
Zia International Airport is Bangladesh's main airport, and the bearer of a large traffic and trade across
South Asia,
Central Asia,
Europe and
North America.
The education system of Dhaka city falls under the Dhaka Education Board, located at Bakshibazar. There are also English-language schools, and madrassahs which do not fall under the Board's jurisdiction. Primary schools cover class 1 to 5, and secondary schools usually have class 6 to class 10. Higher secondary schools are called
Colleges, and cover the 11th and 12th classes. Tertiary education is provided via
Degree colleges, Government and Private universities. The
University of Dhaka, located at Ramna, is the largest public university of the country. The highly-competitive
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology is the state university providing engineering education. There are also technical colleges providing education in textile and leather technology. Another public university which stands very close to the city named
Jahangirnagar University. Medical education is provided through the state owned
Dhaka Medical College and
Sir Salimullah Medical College, and several private medical colleges. IPGMR provides post-graduate education in medical sciences.In the past decade a great many Private Universities have been established,most of them targeting the middle class and upper middle class students. Among them North South University, EMMA, Ahsanullah University, UIU University is doing well. In Medical education Shikder Medical College and Bangladesh Medical College are doing well. Most of these instituition locate in the Banani,FarmGate and Dhanmondhi area where most of the upper middle class people live.
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Bangla New Year celebration in Ramna park |
The Bengali culture is a fine blend of its neighbouring countries and the west. The most popular dressing style for women are
Sarees or
Salwar Kameez. Men usually prefer western clothing. On
April 14 ( The bengali new year, also known as
Pohela Baishakh ) girls wearing white with red linning (mostly) sarees and men in
Punjabi suit cover the streets of Shahbaag,
Ramna Park, and The
University of Dhaka. Various folk bands and singers from all over the country performs at those street corners, reminding the people of the culture of their nation. Despite the modernization of the capital and the growing popularity of Rock Bands, traditional
folk music is still popular in most other parts of the country.
Cricket is the most passionately followed sport in Bangladesh, and is a favorite pastime for many residents of Dhaka city. Youths can be seen playing in almost every available spot in the city, and often take their games to side streets due to the lack of fields and open areas in the city. Bangladesh was awarded test-playing status in 2002 by the
International Cricket Council, and this has added to the popularity of the sport. Dhaka is home to two of the country's biggest sporting clubs,
Abahani and
Mohammedan. These two clubs have longstanding rivalries in both cricket and soccer, which is steadily becoming more popular and is rivaling cricket, of evidence is the astounding number of Argentinian and Brazilian flags displayed in both cities and villages. Chess is the another sports/games category with a lot of success stories.
