Bangladesh National Museum

The National Museum at Shahbagh holds the principal collection of the country across four floors and around forty galleries: archaeology from the Buddhist and Hindu periods of Bengal with stone and bronze sculpture from Paharpur and Mainamati, Islamic period material, coins and inscriptions, ethnography of the hill peoples, natural history, and extensive sections on the language movement and the 1971 war of independence, which occupy a substantial part of the building and are the reason many Bangladeshi visitors come. There is also a large collection of Bengali folk art, textiles including jamdani, and terracotta plaques from temple facades. It is large enough that a first visit means choosing sections rather than trying to see everything.

What you actually see

• Bengal stone and bronze sculpture - the Buddhist and Hindu material from Paharpur and Mainamati.
• Terracotta temple plaques - the panels from Bengali temple facades.
• Jamdani and folk textiles - the weaving collections.
• The independence galleries - the 1971 sections that fill much of a floor.

When to go

November to March. Three hours, and that is selective. It closes on Thursdays and opens in the afternoon only on Fridays. Mornings are quieter. Air conditioning is uneven.

Honest expectations

It is large, the display is dated in many galleries and lighting is poor in places. English labelling is uneven. The independence sections are graphic in parts. Photography is restricted or charged.

Nearby

Curzon Hall and the university are south; Ramna Park lies east.