Old Dhaka

Old Dhaka, the historic heart of the Bangladeshi capital, is one of the most vibrant, chaotic and sensory places in South Asia, a teeming maze of narrow lanes packed with rickshaws, bazaars, workshops and humanity. Amid the frenetic bustle stand its historic gems: the elegant riverside Ahsan Manzil, the pink Pink Palace, the unfinished Mughal Lalbagh Fort, and the ornate Star Mosque with its glittering tilework. Down at the Sadarghat waterfront, an astonishing throng of ferries, launches and river boats crowds the Buriganga River, a spectacle of raw, relentless energy.

History

People lived here from around 500 to 200 BC, and the area passed through the kingdoms of Vanga and Kamarupa, the Palas and the Chandras to the Sena dynasty in the 10th century; the town's name may come from the temple of Dhakeshvari founded by Ballal Sena in the 12th century. After the Delhi and Bengal sultanates, whose oldest surviving mosque here dates from 1454, the Mughals took the area in 1576, and in 1608 it became the capital of the Bengal Subah under Islam Khan, named Jahangirnagar after the emperor, and grew from 1610 into one of the richest cities of the subcontinent and the centre of the muslin trade, until the capital moved to Murshidabad early in the 18th century. The French settled Farashganj in 1780, Armenians gave their name to Armanitola, and the British made an old fort into the Central Jail in 1820 (Wikipedia, Old Dhaka).

What you'll find

• Lalbagh Fort - the unfinished seventeenth-century Mughal fort.
• Ahsan Manzil - the elegant pink riverside palace.
• The Star Mosque - the ornate mosque of glittering tilework.
• Sadarghat - the frenetic river ferry terminal and waterfront.

When to go

November to February, the cool, dry season, is by far the most comfortable time to explore, as the summer is brutally hot and humid and the monsoon brings heavy rain and flooding; even in winter, the old city is hot, crowded and intense. Early morning is calmer for the monuments and river.

Things to know

Old Dhaka is overwhelming: one of the most crowded, chaotic, noisy and polluted urban areas on earth, with dense traffic, heat and constant sensory overload, so it demands patience, energy and an appetite for raw, unfiltered city life rather than comfort or polish. It is not an easy destination. For the sheer, exhilarating vibrancy of its street life, Mughal monuments and river spectacle, though, it is unforgettable and utterly alive.

Nearby

The wider capital, the Sonargaon old town and the river towns are within reach.

Key facts