Pre-Mughal The history of urban settlements in the area of modern-day Dhaka dates to the first millennium. The region was part of the ancient district of
Bikrampur, which was ruled by the
Sena dynasty. Under
Islamic rule, it became part of the historic district of
Sonargaon, the regional administrative hub of the
Delhi and the
Bengal Sultanates. The
Grand Trunk Road passed through the region, connecting it with
North India, Central Asia and the south-eastern port city of
Chittagong. Before Dhaka, the capital of Bengal was
Gour. Even earlier capitals included
Pandua,
Bikrampur and
Sonargaon. The latter was also the seat of
Isa Khan and his son
Musa Khan, who both headed a confederation of twelve chieftains that resisted Mughal expansion in eastern Bengal during the late 16th century. Due to a change in the course of the
Ganges, the strategic importance of Gour was lost. Dhaka was viewed with strategic importance due to the Mughal need to consolidate control in eastern Bengal. The Mughals also planned to extend their empire beyond into
Assam and
Arakan. Dhaka and
Chittagong became the eastern frontiers of the Mughal Empire.
Early period of Mughal Bengal in Dhaka in 1789 Dhaka became the capital of the Mughal province of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa in 1610 with a jurisdiction covering modern-day Bangladesh and
eastern India, including the modern-day
Indian states of
West Bengal,
Bihar and
Orissa. This province was known as
Bengal Subah. The city was founded during the reign of
Emperor Jahangir. Emperor
Shah Jahan visited Dhaka in 1624 and stayed in the city for a week, four years before he became emperor in 1628. Dhaka became one of the richest and greatest cities in the world during the early period of
Bengal Subah (1610–1717). The prosperity of Dhaka reached its peak during the administration of governor
Shaista Khan (1644–1677 and 1680–1688). Rice was then sold at eight maunds per rupee.
Thomas Bowrey, an English merchant sailor who visited the city between 1669 and 1670, wrote that the city was 40 miles in circuit. He estimated the city to be more populated than
London with 900,000 people. Bengal became the economic engine of the Mughal Empire. Dhaka played a key role in the
proto-industrialization of Bengal. It was the centre of the
muslin trade in Bengal, leading to muslin being called "Daka" in distant markets as far away as
Central Asia. Mughal India depended on Bengali products like rice, silk and cotton textiles. European East India Companies from Britain, Holland, France, and Denmark also depended on Bengali products. Bengal accounted for 40% of
Dutch imports from Asia, with many products being sold to Dutch ships in Bengali harbours and then transported to
Batavia in the
Dutch East Indies. Bengal accounted for 50% of textiles and 80% of silks in Dutch textile imports from Asia. Silk was also exported to premodern
Japan. The region had a large
shipbuilding industry which supplied the
Mughal Navy. The shipbuilding output of Bengal during the 16th and 17th centuries stood at 223,250 tons annually, compared to 23,061 tons produced by North America from 1769 to 1771. The Mughals decorated the city with well-laid-out gardens.
Caravanserai included the
Bara Katra and
Choto Katra. The architect of the palatial Bara Katra was Abul Qashim Al Hussaini Attabatayi Assemani. According to inscriptions in the Bangladesh National Museum, the ownership of Bara Katra was entrusted to an Islamic
waqf. Khan named it "Jahangirnagar" (
The City of Jahangir) in honour of the Emperor Jahangir. The name was dropped soon after the English conquered. The main expansion of the city took place under Governor
Shaista Khan. The city then measured , with a population of nearly one million. Dhaka became home to one of the richest elites in Mughal India. The construction of
Lalbagh Fort was commenced in 1678 by
Prince Azam Shah, who was the governor of Bengal, a son of
Emperor Aurangzeb and a future
Mughal Emperor himself. The
Lalbagh Fort was intended to be the viceregal residence of Mughal governors in eastern India. Before the fort's construction could be completed, the prince was recalled by Emperor
Aurangzeb. The fort's construction was halted by Shaista Khan after the death of his daughter
Pari Bibi, who is buried in a tomb in the centre of the unfinished fort.
Pari Bibi, whose name means
Fairy Lady, was legendary for her beauty, engaged to Prince Azam Shah, and a potential future Mughal empress before her premature death. Internal conflict in the Mughal court cut short Dhaka's growth as an imperial city. Prince Azam Shah's rivalry with
Murshid Quli Khan resulted in Dhaka losing its status as the provincial capital. In 1717, the provincial capital was shifted to
Murshidabad where Murshid Quli Khan declared himself as the
Nawab of Bengal.
Naib Nizamat Under the Nawabs of Bengal, the
Naib Nazim of Dhaka was in charge of the city. The
Naib Nazim was the deputy governor of Bengal. He also dealt with the upkeep of the Mughal Navy. The Naib Nazim was in charge of the Dhaka Division, which included Dhaka,
Comilla, and Chittagong. Dhaka Division was one of the four divisions under the Nawabs of Bengal. The Nawabs of Bengal allowed European trading companies to establish factories across Bengal. The region then became a hotbed for European rivalries. The British moved to oust the last independent Nawab of Bengal in 1757, who was allied with the French. Due to the defection of Nawab's army chief
Mir Jafar to the British side, the last Nawab lost the
Battle of Plassey. After the
Battle of Buxar in 1765, the
Treaty of Allahabad allowed the British East India Company to become the tax collector in Bengal on behalf of the Mughal Emperor in Delhi. The Naib Nazim continued to function until 1793 when all his powers were transferred to the East India Company. The city formally passed to the control of the East India Company in 1793. British military raids damaged a lot of the city's infrastructure. The military conflict caused a sharp decline in the urban population. Dhaka's fortunes received a boost with connections to the mercantile networks of the
British Empire. With the dawn of the
Industrial Revolution in
Britain, Dhaka became a leading centre of the
jute trade, as Bengal accounted for the largest share of the world's
jute production. But the British neglected Dhaka's industrial and urban development until the late 19th century. Income from the pre-colonial, proto-industrialized textile industry dried up. Bengali weavers went out of business after the imposition of a 75% tax on the export of cotton from Bengal, as well as the surge in imports of cheap, British-manufactured fabrics after the advent of the spinning mule and steam power. The rapid growth of the colonial capital
Calcutta contributed to the decline in Dhaka's population and economy in the early 1800s. In 1824, an Anglican bishop described Dhaka as a "City of magnificent ruins". Evan so, it still had an estimated 90,000 houses and huts and a population of around 300,000 by the 1840s.
Trade and migration belonging to a family of Old Dhaka in the 1800s. Dhaka hosted factories of the English East India Company, the
Dutch East India Company, and
French East India Company. The property of the
Ahsan Manzil was initially bought by the French for their factory and later sold to the Dhaka Nawab Family. The Portuguese were reportedly responsible for introducing
cheese. Dhaka saw an influx of migrants during the Mughal Empire. An
Armenian community from the
Safavid Empire settled in Dhaka and was involved in the city's textile trade, paying a 3.5% tax. The Armenians were very active in the city's social life. They opened the
Pogose School.
Marwaris were the Hindu trading community. Dhaka also became home to
Jews and Greeks. The city has a
Greek memorial. Several families of Dhaka's elite spoke
Urdu and included Urdu poets.
Persians also settled in the city to serve as administrators and military commanders of the Mughal government in Bengal. The legacy of cosmopolitan trading communities lives on in the names of neighbourhoods in Old Dhaka, including
Farashganj (French Bazaar),
Armanitola (Armenian Quarter) and Postogola (Portuguese Quarter). According to those who lived in the historic city, "Dhaka was a courtly, genteel town – the very last flowering, in their telling, of Mughal etiquette and sensibility. It is this history that is today still reflected in the faded grandeur of the old city, now crumbling due to decades of neglect. The narrow, winding, high-walled lanes and alleyways, the old high-ceilinged houses with verandas and balconies, the old neighbourhoods, the graveyards and gardens, the mosques, the grand old mansions – these are all still there if one goes looking". Railway stations, postal departments, civil service posts and river port stations were often staffed by
Anglo-Indians. The city's hinterland supplied rice, jute,
gunny sacks, turmeric, ginger, leather hides, silk, rugs,
saltpeter, salt, sugar,
indigo, cotton, and iron. British opium policy in Bengal contributed to the
Opium Wars with
China. American traders collected artwork, handicrafts, terracotta, sculptures, religious and literary texts, manuscripts, and military weapons from Bengal. Some objects from the region are on display in the
Peabody Essex Museum.
Direct rule by the British crown was established following the successful quelling of the mutiny. It bestowed privileges on the Dhaka Nawab Family, which dominated the city's political and social elite. The
Dhaka Cantonment was established as a base for the
British Indian Army. The British developed the modern city around
Ramna,
Shahbag Garden, and
Victoria Park. Dhaka got its own version of the
hansom cab as public transport in 1856. The number of carriages increased from 60 in 1867 to 600 in 1889. In 1885, the Dhaka State Railway was opened with a 144 km metre gauge (1000 mm) rail line connecting
Mymensingh and the
Port of Narayanganj through Dhaka. The city later became a hub of the
Eastern Bengal State Railway. The film show was organized by the Bedford Bioscope Company. This period is described as being "the colonial-era part of Dhaka, developed by the British during the early 20th century. Similar to colonial boroughs the length and breadth of the Subcontinent, this development was typified by stately government buildings, spacious tree-lined avenues, and sturdy white-washed bungalows set amidst always overgrown (the British never did manage to fully tame the landscape) gardens. Once upon a time, this was the new city; and even though it is today far from the ritziest part of town, the streets here are still wider and the trees more abundant and the greenery more evident than in any other part". The
Viceroy of India would often dine and entertain with Bengali aristocrats in the city.
Automobiles began appearing after the turn of the century. A 1937
Sunbeam-Talbot Ten was preserved in the Liberation War Museum. The Nawabs of Dhaka owned
Rolls-Royces.
Austin cars were widely used.
Beauty Boarding was a popular inn and restaurant. Dhaka's fortunes changed in the early 20th century. British neglect of Dhaka's urban development was overturned with the
first partition of Bengal in 1905, which restored Dhaka's status as a regional capital. The city became the seat of government for
Eastern Bengal and Assam, with a jurisdiction covering most of modern-day Bangladesh and all of what is now
Northeast India. The partition was the brainchild of
Lord Curzon, who finally acted on British ideas for partitioning Bengal to improve administration, education, and business. Dhaka became the seat of the
Eastern Bengal and Assam Legislative Council. While Dhaka was the main capital throughout the year,
Shillong acted as the summer retreat of the administration. Lieutenant Governors were in charge of the province. They resided in Dhaka. The Lt Governors included Sir
Bampfylde Fuller (1905–1906), Sir Lancelot Hare (1906–1911), and
Sir Charles Stuart Bayley (1911–1912). Their legacy lives on in the names of three major thoroughfares in modern Dhaka, including Hare Road,
Bayley Road, and Fuller Road. The period saw the construction of stately buildings, including the High Court and Curzon Hall. The city was home to diverse groups of people, including
Armenians,
Jews, Dhaka was the seat of government for 4 administrative divisions, including the Assam Valley Division,
Chittagong Division,
Dacca Division,
Rajshahi Division, and the Surma Valley Division. There were a total of 30 districts in Eastern Bengal and Assam, including Dacca, Mymensingh, Faridpur and
Backergunge in Dacca Division;
Tippera, Noakhali, Chittagong and the
Hill Tracts in Chittagong Division; Rajshahi, Dinajpur,
Jalpaiguri, Rangpur, Bogra, Pabna and
Malda in Rajshahi Division; Sylhet,
Cachar, the
Khasi and Jaintia Hills, the
Naga Hills and the
Lushai Hills in Surma Valley Division; and
Goalpara,
Kamrup, the
Garo Hills,
Darrang,
Nowgong,
Sibsagar and
Lakhimpur in Assam Valley Division. The province was bordered by
Cooch Behar State,
Hill Tipperah and the
Kingdom of Bhutan. in the
British Raj between 1905 and 1912 On the political front, partition allowed Dhaka to project itself as the standard-bearer of Muslim communities in
British India, as opposed to the heavily Hindu-dominated city of Calcutta. the British gave the city a newly formed university in the 1920s. The
University of Dhaka was initially modelled on the residential style of the
University of Oxford. It became known as the
Oxford of the East because of its residential character. Like Oxford, students in Dhaka were affiliated with their halls of residence instead of their academic departments (this system was dropped after 1947 and students are now affiliated with academic departments). The university's faculty included scientist
Satyendra Nath Bose (who is the namesake of the
Higgs boson); linguist
Muhammad Shahidullah,
Sir A F Rahman (the first Bengali vice-chancellor of the university); and historian
R. C. Majumdar.
Metropolitan Dhaka The development of the "real city" began after the
partition of India. This was formalized in 1962 when
Ayub Khan declared the city as the legislative capital under the
1962 constitution. New neighbourhoods began to spring up in formerly barren and agrarian areas. These included
Dhanmondi (rice granary), Katabon (thorn forest), Kathalbagan (jackfruit garden),
Kalabagan (banana garden),
Segunbagicha (teak garden) and
Gulshan (flower garden). Living standards rapidly improved from the pre-partition standards. The economy began to industrialize. On the outskirts of the city, the
world's largest jute mill was built. The mill produced jute goods which were in high demand during the
Korean War. People began building duplex houses. In 1961,
Queen Elizabeth II and
Prince Philip witnessed the improved living standards of Dhaka's residents. The
Intercontinental hotel, designed by
William B. Tabler, was opened in 1966. Estonian-American architect
Louis I. Kahn was enlisted to design the Dhaka Assembly, which was originally intended to be the federal parliament of Pakistan and later became independent Bangladesh's parliament. The
East Pakistan Helicopter Service connected the city to regional towns. The
Dhaka Stock Exchange was opened on 28 April 1954. The first local airline
Orient Airways began flights between Dhaka and
Karachi on 6 June 1954. The
Dhaka Improvement Trust was established in 1956 to coordinate the city's development. The first master plan for the city was drawn up in 1959. The
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization established a medical research centre (now called
ICDDR,B) in the city in 1960. The early period of political turbulence was seen between 1947 and 1952, particularly the
Bengali language movement. From the mid-1960s, the
Awami League's 6-point autonomy demands began giving rise to pro-independence aspirations across
East Pakistan. In 1969,
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released from prison amid a mass upsurge which led to the resignation of Ayub Khan in 1970. The city had an influential press with prominent newspapers like the
Pakistan Observer,
Ittefaq, Forum, and the
Weekly Holiday. During the political and constitutional crisis in 1971, the
military junta led by
Yahya Khan refused to transfer power to the newly elected National Assembly, causing mass riots, civil disobedience, and a movement for
self-determination. On 7 March 1971,
Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman addressed a massive public gathering at the
Ramna Race Course Maidan in Dhaka, in which he warned of an independence struggle. Subsequently, East Pakistan came under a
non-co-operation movement against the Pakistani state. On Pakistan's Republic Day (23 March 1971),
Bangladeshi flags were hoisted throughout Dhaka in a show of resistance. On 25 March 1971, the
Pakistan Army launched military operations under
Operation Searchlight against the population of East Pakistan. Dhaka bore the brunt of the army's atrocities, witnessing a
genocide and a campaign of wide-scale repression, with the arrest, torture, and murder of the city's civilians, students,
intelligentsia, political activists and religious minorities. The army faced
mutinies from the
East Pakistan Rifles and the Bengali police. Large parts of the city were burnt and destroyed, including Hindu neighbourhoods. Dhaka was struck with numerous air raids by the
Indian Air Force in
December. The Pakistan Eastern Command
surrendered to Lt. Gen.
Jagjit Singh Aurora at the
Ramna Race Course in Dhaka on 16 December 1971. After independence, Dhaka's population grew from several hundred thousand to several million in five decades. Dhaka was declared the national capital by the
Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh in 1972. The post-independence period witnessed rapid growth as Dhaka attracted migrant workers from across rural
Bangladesh. 60% of population growth has been due to rural migration. The city endured
socialist unrest in the early 1970s, followed by a few years of
martial law. The stock exchange and
free market were restored in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, Dhaka saw the inauguration of the
National Parliament House (which won the
Aga Khan Award for Architecture), a new
international airport and the
Bangladesh National Museum. Bangladesh pioneered the formation of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and hosted its first summit in Dhaka in 1985. A mass uprising in 1990 led to the return of
parliamentary democracy. Dhaka hosted a trilateral summit between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in 1998; the summit of the
D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation in 1999 and conferences of the
Commonwealth,
SAARC, the
OIC and
United Nations agencies during various years. In the 1990s and 2000s, Dhaka experienced improved economic growth and the emergence of affluent business districts and satellite towns. Between 1990 and 2005, the city's population doubled from 6 million to 12 million. There has been increased
foreign investment in the city, particularly in the financial and textile manufacturing sectors. Between 2008 and 2011, the
government of Bangladesh organized three years of celebrations to mark 400 years since Dhaka's founding as an early modern city. The hartal rate has declined since 2014. In some years, the city experienced a widespread
flash flood during the monsoon. Dhaka is one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world. It is predicted to be one of the world's largest cities by 2025, along with
Tokyo,
Mexico City,
Shanghai,
Beijing and
New York City. Most of its population are rural migrants, including
climate refugees.
Congestion is one of the most prominent features of modern Dhaka. In 2014, it was reported that only 7% of the city was covered by roads. The first phase of
Dhaka Metro Rail from
Uttara to
Agargaon was inaugurated by
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 28 December 2022. However, nearly one third of Dhaka's population lives in
slums, as of 2016. The city's main river, the
Buriganga River, has become one of the most polluted rivers in the country. == Geography ==