Curzon Hall

Curzon Hall was built in 1904 and named for the viceroy who laid its foundation stone, intended as a town hall and used as a university building from 1921, and it is the best example in Dhaka of the Indo-Saracenic manner: red brick and white plaster, a long arcaded front with cusped Mughal arches, projecting bays and a broad veranda, set in lawns on the Dhaka University campus. It houses the science faculty. Its place in the country's history is political rather than architectural: it was a centre of the language movement of 1948 to 1952, when students campaigned for Bengali to be recognised, and the campus around it carries a number of monuments to that. The grounds are open and the building is seen from outside.

What you actually see

• Cusped Mughal arches in red brick - the Indo-Saracenic arcaded front.
• The long veranda - the shaded walk across the facade.
• Campus lawns - the setting on the Dhaka University grounds.
• Language movement memorials - the monuments on the surrounding campus.

When to go

November to March. One hour. The building is a working faculty and the interior is not open to visitors; the grounds are. Term time brings students and activity; the campus is quiet in holidays.

Honest expectations

The interior is a working university and not open. There is no interpretation for visitors. The campus can be closed during political demonstrations, which are not infrequent. Traffic around Ramna is heavy.

Nearby

The National Museum is north; Old Dhaka lies south-west.