Sylhet
This article is about the city. For the district or the administrative division, see Sylhet District or Sylhet DivisionSylhet (
Sylheti:
Silôţ;
Bengali:
Sileţ, formerly
Srihôţţo) is a major city in north-eastern
Bangladesh. It is the capital of
Sylhet Division (সিলেট বিà¦à¦¾à¦—
Sileţ Bibhag) and
Sylhet District (সিলেট জেলা
Sileţ Jela). The city has approximately 290,000 residents.
Sylhet is an ancient settlement. Historians believe that Sylhet or, as it was known in ancient times, Sreehatta ("enriched marketplace"), was an expanded commercial center from the ancient period, which explains its original namesake. During this time, Sreehatta was probably inhabited by
Indo-Aryan Hindu Bengalis, though ethnically much of the population would also have been of
Munda,
Assamese, and
Dravidian ancestry.
In the ancient and early medieval period, Sylhet was ruled primarily by local chieftains. There is evidence to suggest that the
Maharaja Sri Chandra, of northern
Bengal, conquered Bengal in the 10th century, although this is a much disputed topic amongst Bangladeshi historians and archaeologists. This was a period of relative prosperity and there is little evidence to suggest this was marred by wars or feuds. Sylhet was certainly known by the rest of India, and is even referred to in the ancient Hindu sacred Tantric text, the
Shakti Sangama Tantra, as 'Silhatta'. The last chieftain to reign Sylhet was
Gaur Gobinda.
The 14th century marked the beginning of Islamic influence in Sylhet. In the early 14th Century, a
Turkish Muslim saint arrived in Sylhet from
Yemen,
Hazrat Shah Jalal, and his companions (reported to be about 360) triumphed over Sylhet and began to spread Islam. Although Shah Jalal was a native of
Konya in
Turkey, it didn't take much time for him to become a very respected figure in Sylhet. He died in Sylhet a few years later; his tomb is a revered shrine in Bangladesh.
Saints such as
Shah Jalal and
Shah Paran were responsible for the conversion of most of the populace from
Hinduism to
Islam. Shortly thereafter, Sylhet became a centre of Islam in Bengal. During this era of Muslim rule, Sylhet was often known as 'Jalalabad' in official documents and historical accounts, such as that of
Ibn Battuta.
Much later, the
British East India Company began to be interested in Sylhet as early as 1765, as an area of strategic importance in the war against
Burma. Sylhet gradually was absorbed into British control and administration and was governed as a part of Bengal. After the British administrative reorganization of India, Sylhet was incorporated into
Assam. It remained a part of Assam for the rest of the era of British rule. In 1947, Sylhet became a part of
East Pakistan.
Important historical places include the Stone Monument of Jaintapur, Mound of Gharduara, Gaiyabi Mosque, tombs of
Hazrat Shah Jalal and
Shah Paran, Abu Torab Mosque, Nawabi Masque, Mughal Mosque at Akhalia, temple of Sri Chaitannya Dev in Dhaka Dakshin and the Thin Mandir (trio temple).
The
Sylheti language (
Silôţi or
Sileţi) is spoken throughout Sylhet Division, with some minor dialectal variations. Sylheti is an
Eastern Indic language closely related to
Bengali (Bangla),
Chittagonian, and
Assamese (Ã"xômiya). Most Sylhetis are at least bilingual to some degree, as they are taught Bengali at all levels of education in Bangladesh.
Sylhet is the home of most Bangladeshi migrants to the
United Kingdom and the rest of the world. Certain parts of the United Kingdom are heavily populated with people from Sylhet, most notably the
East End of London, especially the
boroughs of
Newham and
Tower Hamlets, which includes
Brick Lane, a famous street dubbed "
Banglatown" for its large Bangladeshi, almost entirely Sylheti, population. The town of Sylhet is twinned with
St Albans,
United Kingdom. As so many Sylhetis are resident abroad, Sylhet has a major flow of foreign currency from non-resident Bangladeshis; many Sylheti families' sole source of income comes from relatives abroad.
The city is noted for its picturesque rolling hills, such as the
Jaintia and
Khasia hills. Sylhet is also famed for its tea gardens, most notably those in the
Srimongol area. The construction industry in Sylhet is currently booming with many shopping centres and apartments being built to luxurious standards, funded by foreign investment from Sylhetis abroad.
The city is served by
Osmany International Airport.
#The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal (R)#The Shrine of Hajrat Shah Paran (R)#
Haripur Gas Field#
Madhabkunda Waterfall#
Tamabil &
Jaflong#
Srimangal#Temple of Sri Chaitannya Dev#Shahi Eidgah#Gour Gobinda Fort#
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology#Dream Land (
Theme Park)#Lawacherra Rainforest#Jointapur Rajbari (palace)#Sripur#Jaflong
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About Sylhet*
Sylhet, The region of tea gardens*
Sylhet*
Sylhet in Pictures
