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{{Short description|Capital and largest city of Bangladesh}} {{About|the capital city|the division|Dhaka Division|the district|Dhaka District|other uses|Dhaka (disambiguation)}} {{Distinguish|text=Senegal's capital city [[Dakar]]}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Dhaka | settlement_type = [[Megacity]] | official_name = | native_name = ঢাকা | native_name_lang = bn | other_name = Dacca | nicknames = <ref>{{Cite news |last=Imam |first=Shah Husain |date=20 July 2018 |title=Dhaka: Where will it go from here? |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/pleasure-all-mine/dhaka-where-will-it-go-here-1607983 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302210152/https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/pleasure-all-mine/dhaka-where-will-it-go-here-1607983 |archive-date=2 March 2023 |access-date=2 March 2022 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]] |type=Opinion |quote=Dhaka, once the Venice of the East by virtue of being surrounded by four ebullient rivers, is now an urban behemoth.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=10 December 2019 |title=The tales of urban street children:Is there anything we could do? |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/climate-change/2019/12/10/the-tales-of-urban-street-children-is-there-anything-we-could-do |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801075352/https://www.dhakatribune.com/climate-change/2019/12/10/the-tales-of-urban-street-children-is-there-anything-we-could-do |archive-date=1 August 2021 |access-date=2 April 2021 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 May 2018 |title=Are we willing to know more of Dhaka? |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/my-dhaka/are-we-willing-know-more-dhaka-1570981 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803010913/https://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/my-dhaka/are-we-willing-know-more-dhaka-1570981 |archive-date=3 August 2021 |access-date=2 April 2021 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref><br /> [[City of Mosques]]<ref>The city of mosques <cite>The city of mosques</cite> (https://www.dhakatribune.com/amp/opinion/heritage/5361/the-city-of-mosques)</ref><br />[[The City That Never Sleeps (nickname)|City That Never Sleeps]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-16 |title=Dhaka: The city that (still) never sleeps |url=https://dhakatribune.com/story/2198647/Dhaka-city-is-still-not-sleeping |website=Dhaka Tribune |language=en |access-date=5 July 2024 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329002727/https://www.dhakatribune.com/story/2198647/Dhaka-city-is-still-not-sleeping |url-status=dead }}</ref><br />[[City of Rickshaws]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chowdhury |first=Sanjana |date=27 November 2021 |title=রিকশা বৃত্তান্ত: কবে, কোথা থেকে, কে প্রথম এই বাহনটি বাংলাদেশে আনেন |url=https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-59214407 |access-date=28 March 2024 |work=[[BBC]] |language=bn |archive-date=27 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327224451/https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-59214407 |url-status=live }}</ref><br />[[Venice of the East]]<ref>{{Cite magazine |magazine= Depart |issue=10 |url=http://www.departmag.com/archive/10th_issue/proforma3.html |title=Unfinished paradise in an unscheduled Venice: functionality and aesthetics in the expansion of Mughal Dhaka |author=Seema Nusrat Amin |access-date=2013-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402184239/http://www.departmag.com/archive/10th_issue/proforma3.html |archive-date=2014-04-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Connectivity Index Development for Khal in Dhaka City: Venice of the East: Amazon.co.uk: Jannatul Mauya: 9783659187278: Books|id={{ASIN|3659187275|country=uk}}}}</ref> | image_flag = <!--Flag of Dhaka.svg--> | flag_size = 150px | image_caption = | image_skyline = {{Multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 300 | image_style = | caption_align = center | perrow = 1/2/2/1 | image1 = Bangladesh Bank (33398162476).jpg | caption1 = Skyline of [[Motijheel Commercial Area]] | image2 = Parliament of Bangladesh (5238133496).jpg | caption2 = [[Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban|National Parliament House]] | image3 = DJI 0760 ( Ahsan Manzil).jpg | caption3 = [[Ahsan Manzil]] in [[Old Dhaka]] | image4 = লাল কেল্লার মায়া.jpg | caption4 = [[Lalbagh Fort]] | image5 = Curjon Hall.jpg | caption5 = [[Curzon Hall]] of the [[University of Dhaka]] | image6 = 1. স্বাধীনতা স্তম্ভ.jpg | caption6 = [[Swadhinata Stambha|Independence Monument]] in [[Suhrawardy Udyan]] }} | image_seal = | shield_size = | motto = | image_map = Dhaka City Map.svg | mapsize = 250px | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Bangladesh Dhaka division#Bangladesh#Asia#Earth | pushpin_label_position = right | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Dhaka Division##Location in Bangladesh##Location in Asia##Location in Earth | pushpin_relief = yes | coordinates = {{Coord|23|48|15|N|90|24|55|E|region:BD-13|display=it}} <!-- Politics ----------------->| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]] | subdivision_name = {{Country|Bangladesh}} | subdivision_type1 = [[Divisions of Bangladesh|Division]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Dhaka Division]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Districts of Bangladesh|District]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Dhaka District]] | established_title = Establishment | established_date = {{Start date and age|df=y|1608|p=y}} | established_title2 = | established_date2 = | established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) --> | established_date3 = | government_type = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]] | governing_body = {{nowrap|[[Dhaka North City Corporation|DNCC]] and [[Dhaka South City Corporation|DSCC]]}} | government_footnotes = | leader_title = [[City Administrator|North Administrator]] | leader_name = Mohammad Azaz | leader_title1 = [[City Administrator|South Administrator]] | leader_name1 = Md. Shahjahan Miah | leader_title2 = [[List of city corporations in Bangladesh#City Council|City Council]] | leader_name2 = [[Dhaka City Corporation#Ward and councillor list|129 constituencies]] | leader_title3 = [[Parliament of Bangladesh|Parliament]] | leader_name3 = [[List of constituencies of the Jatiya Sangsad#Dhaka Division|15 constituencies]] | area_total_km2 = 306<!-- The Daily Star wrote it would be 127.63 + 178.75 = 306.38 *if approved* by NICAR, bdnews24.com wrote 2 days later that what NICAR approved was 270 sq km --> | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_urban_km2 = | area_metro_km2 = 2569.55<ref name="wikimapia.org">{{Cite web |title=Dhaka Metropolitan City Area |url=http://wikimapia.org/26768999/Dhaka-Metropolitan-City-Area |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929093019/http://wikimapia.org/26768999/Dhaka-Metropolitan-City-Area |archive-date=29 September 2017 |access-date=29 September 2017}}</ref> | area_metro_sq_mi = 992.11<ref name="wikimapia.org" /> | area_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite news |last1=Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee |last2=Mahbubur Rahman Khan |date=7 May 2016 |title=Govt to double size of Dhaka city area |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/govt-double-size-dhaka-city-area-1219972 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302025916/http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/govt-double-size-dhaka-city-area-1219972 |archive-date=2 March 2017 |access-date=1 March 2017 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=9 May 2016 |title=Dhaka City expands by more than double after inclusion of 16 union councils |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/05/09/dhaka-city-expands-by-more-than-double-after-inclusion-of-16-union-councils |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302025316/http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/05/09/dhaka-city-expands-by-more-than-double-after-inclusion-of-16-union-councils |archive-date=2 March 2017 |access-date=1 March 2017 |work=bdnews24.com}}</ref> | elevation_m = 32 | elevation_ft = 104.96 | elevation_footnotes = <ref name="Elevation of Dhaka">{{Cite web |title=Dhaka, Bangladesh Map |url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/maps/map_city_dhaka.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107084813/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/maps/map_city_dhaka.html |archive-date=7 January 2010 |access-date=6 September 2009 |website=National Geographic}}</ref> <!-- Population ----------------------->| population_total = 10,278,882 | population_as_of = [[2022 Bangladeshi census|2022]] | population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Dhaka (Bangladesh): City Districts and Subdistricts - Population Statistics, Charts and Map |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/bangladesh/dhaka/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203120015/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/bangladesh-dhaka.php |archive-date=3 February 2019 |access-date=19 January 2022 |website=City Population}}</ref><ref name="dhakapop1">{{Cite web |title=Population & Housing Census-2011 |url=http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/National%20Reports/Union%20Statistics.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208044832/http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/National%20Reports/Union%20Statistics.pdf |archive-date=8 December 2015 |access-date=15 December 2015 |publisher=[[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]] |page=41}}</ref> | population_blank1_title = City rank | population_blank1 = [[List of cities and towns in Bangladesh|1st in Bangladesh]] | population_blank2_title = Metro rank | population_blank2 = [[List of city corporations in Bangladesh|1st in Bangladesh]];<br />[[Bengal#Urban Areas|1st in Bengal Region]]; <br />[[South Asia|2nd in South Asia]]; <br />[[List of metropolitan areas in Asia|9th in Asia]]; <br />[[List of largest cities|9th in the world]] | population_rank = | population_metro = 23,935,700{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_metro_km2 = auto | population_metro_footnotes = | population_demonym = [[Dhakaiyas|Dhakaiya]], Dhakaites | population_blank1_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Evolving Urban Form: Dhaka |url=http://www.newgeography.com/content/003004-evolving-urban-form-dhaka |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611103831/http://www.newgeography.com/content/003004-evolving-urban-form-dhaka |archive-date=11 June 2013 |access-date=19 January 2022 |website=Newgeography.com}}</ref> | population_blank2_footnotes = <ref name="District Statistics 2011, Dhaka">{{Cite web |date=December 2013 |title=District Statistics 2011, Dhaka |url=http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/District%20Statistics/Dhaka.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424233706/http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/District%20Statistics/Dhaka.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2015 |access-date=14 May 2015 |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> <!-- General information --------------->| unit_pref = Metric | demographics_type1 = [[Languages of Bangladesh|Languages]] | demographics1_title1 = Official | demographics1_info1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]] • English | utc_offset = +06:00 | timezone = [[Bangladesh Standard Time|BST]] | postal_code_type = [[Postal codes in Bangladesh|Postal code]] | postal_code = 1000, 1100, 12xx, 13xx | registration_plate = DHAKA-D-11-9999""111 | area_code_type = [[Telephone numbering plan|National calling code]] | area_code = [[List of country calling codes|+880]] | blank_info = | blank1_name = [[Telephone numbering plan|Calling code]] | blank1_info = [[Telephone numbers in Bangladesh|+880-2]] (for Dhaka City only) | blank2_name = [[Police]] | blank2_info = [[Dhaka Metropolitan Police]] | blank3_name = [[International Airport]] | blank3_info = [[Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport]] | blank4_name = [[ISO 3166-2:BD|ISO 3166-2]] | blank4_info = BD-13 | blank_name_sec1 = {{nowrap|[[Economy of Dhaka|GDP]]}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=TelluBase—Dhaka Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series) |url=https://tellusant.com/repo/tb/tellubase_factsheet_dhaka.pdf |access-date=2024-10-10 |archive-date=18 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718175513/https://www.tellusant.com/repo/tb/tellubase_factsheet_dhaka.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | blank_info_sec1 = [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|PPP]]<br />{{IncreasePositive}} $740 billion (2022)<br />[[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|Nominal]]<br /> {{IncreasePositive}} $213.3 billion (2022) | blank1_name_sec1 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022) | blank1_info_sec1 = 0.756<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web |title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/BGD/?levels=1+4&years=2021&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208072227/https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/BGD/?levels=1+4&years=2021&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0 |archive-date=8 February 2023 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en}}</ref><br />{{color|#093|high}} · [[List of regions of Bangladesh by Human Development Index|1st of 20]] | blank4_name_sec1 = [[Rapid Transit]] | blank4_info_sec1 = [[Dhaka Metro Rail]]<br />[[Dhaka BRT]] | blank5_name_sec1 = Metropolitan Planning Authority | blank5_info_sec1 = [[Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha]] | blank4_name_sec2 = [[UN/LOCODE]] | blank4_info_sec2 = BD DAC | blank6_name_sec1 = Water Supply and Sewerage Authority | blank6_info_sec1 = [[Dhaka WASA]] | website = [https://www.dncc.gov.bd North Dhaka]<br />[https://dscc.gov.bd South Dhaka] | footnotes = {{designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = WHS | designation1_offname = [[Rickshaw painting of Bangladesh]] | designation1_date = 2023 <ref>{{Cite news |date=6 December 2023 |title=Unesco lists rickshaws and rickshaw art as 'intangible heritage' |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/culture/news/unesco-lists-rickshaws-and-rickshaw-art-intangible-heritage-3487581 |work=The Daily Start |archive-date=11 November 2024 |access-date=11 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111121254/https://www.thedailystar.net/culture/news/unesco-lists-rickshaws-and-rickshaw-art-intangible-heritage-3487581 |url-status=live }}</ref>(18th [[Intangible cultural heritage|Committee]] of UNESCO for safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage) | designation1_type = Cultural | designation1_criteria = | designation1_number = [https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/rickshaws-and-rickshaw-painting-in-dhaka-01589] | designation1_free1name = Region | designation1_free1value = [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|Southern Asia]] | designation1_free3name = Notability | designation1_free3value = The Representative List of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" category }} }} '''Dhaka''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɑː|k|ə}} {{respell|DAH|kə}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|æ|k|ə}} {{respell|DAK|ə}}; {{langx|bn|ঢাকা|Ḍhākā}}, {{IPA|bn|ˈɖʱaka|pron|LL-Q9610 (ben)-Titodutta-ঢাকা.wav}}), [[List of renamed places in Bangladesh|formerly known as]] '''Dacca''',<ref name="Choguill2012">{{Cite book |last=Choguill |first=C.L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=slvlBwAAQBAJ&pg=PR8 |title=New Communities for Urban Squatters: Lessons from the Plan That Failed in Dhaka, Bangladesh |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4613-1863-7 |page=viii |access-date=10 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605175215/https://books.google.com/books?id=slvlBwAAQBAJ&pg=PR8 |archive-date=5 June 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> is the [[capital city|capital]] and [[list of cities and towns in Bangladesh|largest city]] of [[Bangladesh]]. It is one of the [[list of largest cities|largest]]{{efn|Dhaka is ranked as the 8th most populous city in the world by metropolitan area population.<ref name="pop 2025" >{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/bangladesh/dhaka |title=Dhaka Population 2025 |date=2025 |access-date=10 May 2025}}</ref>}} and [[list of cities proper by population density|most densely populated cities]]{{efn|With an estimated population density of over 47,000 people per square kilometer, Dhaka surpasses many other global cities in terms of crowding and urban concentration.<ref name="pop 2025" />}} in the world with a density of about 34,000 citizens per square kilometers within a total area of approximately 300 square kilometers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/bangladesh/dhaka#city-size-and-population-density |title=Dhaka Overview |date=2025 |access-date=10 May 2025}}</ref> Dhaka is a [[megacity]], and has a population of 10.2 million residents as of 2024, and a population of over 23.9 million residents in [[Greater Dhaka|Dhaka Metropolitan Area]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-01-14 |title=Dhaka ranks world's sixth most populous city |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/01/14/dhaka-ranks-worlds-sixth-most-populous-city |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230115041503/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2023/01/12/dengue-18-more-patients-hospitalized-in-24hrs |archive-date=2023-01-15 |access-date=2023-01-15 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]]}}</ref><ref name="dhakapop1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=4 October 2020 |title=The World's Most Densely Populated Cities |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-s-most-densely-populated-cities.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319082523/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-s-most-densely-populated-cities.html |archive-date=19 March 2022 |access-date=11 March 2022 |website=WorldAtlas}}</ref> It is widely considered to be the most densely populated built-up [[urban area]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite conference |title=Demographia World Urban Areas 17th Annual Edition: 202106 |url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |conference=Demographia |publisher=Demographia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503021711/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |archive-date=3 May 2018 |access-date=2 February 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ferreira 2021">{{Cite web |last=Ferreira |first=Luana |date=3 September 2021 |title=Here's How Many People Live In The Most Densely Populated City On Earth |url=https://www.grunge.com/594981/heres-how-many-people-live-in-the-most-densely-populated-city-on-earth/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202202931/https://www.grunge.com/594981/heres-how-many-people-live-in-the-most-densely-populated-city-on-earth/ |archive-date=2 February 2022 |access-date=2 February 2022 |website=Grunge.com}}</ref> Dhaka is an important cultural, economic, and scientific hub of [[Eastern South Asia]], as well as a major [[list of largest cities in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries|Muslim-majority city]]. Dhaka ranks [[list of cities by GDP|third in South Asia and 39th in the world]] in terms of [[Gross domestic product|GDP]]. Lying on the [[Ganges Delta]], it is bounded by the [[Buriganga River|Buriganga]], [[Turag River|Turag]], [[Dhaleshwari River|Dhaleshwari]] and [[Shitalakshya River|Shitalakshya]] rivers. Dhaka is also the largest [[Bengali language|Bengali-speaking]] city in the world. The area of Dhaka has been inhabited since the first millennium. An [[early modern period|early modern]] city developed from the 17th century as a provincial capital and commercial centre of the [[Mughal Empire]]. Dhaka was the capital of a [[proto-industrialization|proto-industrialized]] [[Mughal Bengal]] for 75 years (1608–39 and 1660–1704). It was the hub of the [[muslin trade in Bengal]] and one of the most prosperous cities in the world. The Mughal city was named Jahangirnagar (''The City of Jahangir'') in honour of the erstwhile ruling emperor [[Jahangir]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=From Jahangirnagar to Dhaka |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2008/august/jahangirnagar.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408174313/https://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2008/august/jahangirnagar.htm |archive-date=8 April 2022 |access-date=4 March 2022 |magazine=Forum |publisher=The Daily Star}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 June 2021 |title=Islam Khan Chisti |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Islam_Khan_Chisti |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304054550/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Islam_Khan_Chisti |archive-date=4 March 2022 |access-date=4 March 2022 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Khondker |first=Kamrun Nessa |title=Mughal River Forts in Bangladesh (1575-1688): An Archaeological Appraisal |date=December 2012 |access-date=4 March 2022 |degree=PhD |publisher=School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University |url=https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/46748/1/2013khondkerknmphil.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304054600/https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/46748/1/2013khondkerknmphil.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> The city's wealthy Mughal elite included princes and the sons of Mughal emperors. The pre-colonial city's glory peaked in the 17th and 18th centuries, when it was home to merchants from across [[Eurasia]]. The [[Port of Dhaka]] was a major trading post for both riverine and seaborne trade. The Mughals decorated the city with well-laid gardens, tombs, mosques, palaces, and forts. The city was once called the ''[[Venice of the East]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hough |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pj8cderhbr8C&pg=PA57 |title=Cities and Natural Process: A Basis for Sustainability |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-29854-4 |edition=2nd |page=57 |access-date=26 August 2017 |orig-year=First published 1995}}</ref> Under [[British Raj|British rule]], the city saw the introduction of [[electricity]], [[railway]]s, [[Movie theater|cinema]]s, Western-style universities and colleges and a modern [[water supply]]. It became an important administrative and educational centre in the British Raj, as the capital of [[Eastern Bengal and Assam]] province after 1905.<ref name="dani">{{Cite book |last=Dani |first=Ahmad Hasan |author-link=Ahmad Hasan Dani |title=Dacca: A record of its changing fortunes |publisher=Mrs. Safiya S. Dani |year=1962 |edition=2nd |pages=98, 118–119, 126 |oclc=987755973 |orig-year=First published 1956}}</ref> In 1947, after the end of British rule, the city became the administrative capital of [[East Pakistan]]. It was declared the legislative capital of Pakistan in 1962. In 1971, following the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Liberation War]], it became the capital of independent Bangladesh. In 2008, Dhaka celebrated 400 years as a municipal city.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite news |date=1 December 2008 |title=400 years of Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-65599 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218092154/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-65599 |archive-date=18 December 2022 |access-date=18 December 2022 |work=The Daily Star |type=Editorial}}</ref><ref name="voabangla.com">{{Cite news |date=28 November 2008 |title=Bangladesh CA Inaugurates Three-year Gala Celebrations of 400 Anniversary of Dhaka |url=https://www.voabangla.com/a/a-16-2008-11-28-voa6-94432729/1396287.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218090654/https://www.voabangla.com/a/a-16-2008-11-28-voa6-94432729/1396287.html |archive-date=18 December 2022 |access-date=18 December 2022 |work=VOA Bangla}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceC">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dYchNAEACAAJ |title=400 Years of Capital Dhaka and Beyond: Economy and culture |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |year=2011 |isbn=9789845120128 |volume=2 |access-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211094349/https://books.google.com/books?id=dYchNAEACAAJ |archive-date=11 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Global city|gamma+ global city]],<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=World Cities 2024 |url=https://gawc.lboro.ac.uk/gawc-worlds/the-world-according-to-gawc/world-cities-2024/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=GaWC |language=en-US |archive-date=7 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241107082119/https://gawc.lboro.ac.uk/gawc-worlds/the-world-according-to-gawc/world-cities-2024/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Dhaka is the centre of political, economic and cultural life in Bangladesh. It is the seat of the [[Government of Bangladesh]], many [[List of companies of Bangladesh|Bangladeshi companies]], and leading Bangladeshi educational, scientific, research, and cultural organizations. Since its establishment as a modern capital city, the population, area and social and economic diversity of Dhaka have grown tremendously. The city is now one of the most densely industrialized regions in the country. The city accounts for 35% of [[Economy of Bangladesh|Bangladesh's economy]].<ref name="Rezaul Karim" /> The [[Dhaka Stock Exchange]] has over 750 listed companies. Dhaka hosts over 50 [[List of diplomatic missions in Bangladesh|diplomatic missions]]; as well as the headquarters of [[BIMSTEC]], [[CIRDAP]], and the [[International Jute Study Group]]. Dhaka has a renowned culinary heritage. The city's culture is known for its [[rickshaw]]s, Kacchi Biryani, art festivals, street food, and religious diversity. Dhaka's most prominent architectural landmark is the modernist [[Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban]]; while it has a heritage of 2000 buildings from the Mughal and British periods.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 June 2019 |title=Living like there is no past |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/living-there-no-past-1758094 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821221037/https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/living-there-no-past-1758094 |archive-date=21 August 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=The Daily Star}}</ref> The city is associated with two Nobel laureates. Dhaka's annual [[Mangal Shobhajatra|Bengali New Year parade]], its [[Jamdani]] sari, and its [[Rickshaw painting of Bangladesh|rickshaw art]] have been recognized by [[UNESCO]] as the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/mangal-shobhajatra-on-pahela-baishakh-01091 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508054516/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/mangal-shobhajatra-on-pahela-baishakh-01091 |archive-date=8 May 2017 |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO - Traditional art of Jamdani weaving |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-art-of-jamdani-weaving-00879 |access-date=20 March 2024 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121184034/https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-art-of-jamdani-weaving-00879 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="unesco_01589">{{Cite web |title=UNESCO - Rickshaws and rickshaw painting in Dhaka |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/rickshaws-and-rickshaw-painting-in-dhaka-01589 |access-date=23 March 2024 |archive-date=8 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208020946/https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/rickshaws-and-rickshaw-painting-in-dhaka-01589 |url-status=live }}</ref> The city has produced many writers and poets in several languages, especially in Bengali and English. == Etymology == The origins of the name Dhaka are uncertain. It may derive from the ''[[Butea monosperma|dhak]]'' tree, which was once common in the area, or from [[Dhakeshwari]], the 'patron Hindu goddess' of the region.<ref name="britannicaetymology">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Dhaka |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Dhaka |access-date=11 February 2018 |date=26 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010143325/https://www.britannica.com/place/Dhaka |archive-date=10 October 2017 |quote=Dhaka's name is said to refer to the dhak tree, once common in the area, or to Dhakeshwari ("The Hidden Goddess"), whose shrine is located in the western part of the city. |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dailystaretym">{{Cite news |last=Ayan |first=Anindya J. |date=28 January 2018 |title=History of Dhaka's origin |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/video-stories/watch-glimpse-the-history-dhakas-origin-208639?amp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415135035/https://www.thedailystar.net/video-stories/watch-glimpse-the-history-dhakas-origin-208639?amp |archive-date=15 April 2023 |access-date=15 April 2023 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]] |quote=In history, it is often believed that Raja Ballal Sen of the Sen Dynasty of Bengal founded the Dhakeshwari Temple in the 12th century to mark the place of his birth and to pay tribute to the patron goddess of this region. The name Dhaka is believed to have originated from Dhakeshwari in the same way Athens got its name from Athena, the patron goddess of the Greek city.}}</ref> Another popular theory states that Dhaka refers to a [[membranophone]] instrument, ''[[Dhak (instrument)|dhak]]'' which was played by order of [[Subahdar]] [[Islam Khan I]] during the inauguration of the Bengal capital in 1610.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Islam Khan Chisti |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam_Khan_Chisti |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202002132/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam_Khan_Chisti |archive-date=2 February 2015 |access-date=4 February 2013 |website=[[Banglapedia]]}}</ref> Some references also say it was derived from a [[Prakrit]] dialect called [[Dhakaiya Kutti|Dhaka Bhasa]]; or Dhakkaiyya, used in the [[Rajtarangini]] for a watch station; or it is the same as Davaka, mentioned in the [[Allahabad]] pillar inscription of [[Samudragupta]] as an eastern frontier kingdom.<ref name="banglapedia">{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=A.M. |date=23 April 2007 |title=Dhaka |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Dhaka |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516050956/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Dhaka |archive-date=16 May 2019 |access-date=23 April 2007 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> According to [[Rajatarangini]] written by a Kashmiri Brahman, [[Kalhana]],<ref name="Mamoon 2010">{{Cite book |last=Mamoon |first=Muntassir |author-link=Muntassir Mamoon |title=Dhaka: Smiriti Bismiritir Nogori |publisher=Anannya |year=2010 |page=94 |orig-year=First published 1993}}</ref> the region was originally known as ''Dhakka''. The word ''Dhakka'' means ''watchtower''. [[Bikrampur]] and [[Sonargaon]]—the earlier strongholds of Bengal rulers were situated nearby. So Dhaka was possibly used as the watchtower for fortification purpose.<ref name="Mamoon 2010" /> ==History== {{main|History of Dhaka}} {{For timeline}} [[File:Map of Bengal, Behar, Orissa 1813.jpg|thumb|Dhaka was the capital of the Mughal province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa]] ===Pre-Mughal=== The history of urban settlements in the area of modern-day Dhaka dates to the first millennium.<ref name="Britannica-Dhaka">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Dhaka |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/160598/Dhaka |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116092341/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/160598/Dhaka |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The region was part of the ancient district of [[Bikrampur]], which was ruled by the [[Sena dynasty]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dhaka City Corporation |date=5 September 2006 |title=Pre-Mughal Dhaka (before 1608) |url=http://www.dhakacity.org/his_pre_mughal.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410184215/http://www.dhakacity.org/his_pre_mughal.html |archive-date=10 April 2008 |url-status=usurped |access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref> Under [[Islamic]] rule, it became part of the historic district of [[Sonargaon]], the regional administrative hub of the [[Delhi Sultanate|Delhi]] and the [[Bengal Sultanate]]s.<ref name="archive.thedailystar.net">{{Cite news |title=From Jahangirnagar to Dhaka |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2008/august/jahangirnagar.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208123832/http://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2008/august/jahangirnagar.htm |archive-date=8 February 2015 |access-date=18 February 2015 |work=The Daily Star |department=Forum}}</ref> 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 [[Gaur, West Bengal|Gour]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daily Bangladesh |date=5 September 2006 |title=Gaur Nagar: The capital of early Bengal |url=https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/english/feature/28842|access-date=7 January 2024}}</ref> Even earlier capitals included [[Pandua, Malda|Pandua]], [[Bikrampur]] and [[Sonargaon]]. The latter was also the seat of [[Isa Khan]] and his son [[Musa Khan of Bengal|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=== [[File:Lalbagh Kella (Lalbagh Fort) Dhaka Bangladesh 2011 54.JPG|thumb|upright|Ruins of [[Lalbagh Fort]]]] [[File:Asiatic Society Heritage Museum.jpg|thumb|[[Nimtali arch]]]] [[File:Renaldis muslin woman.jpg|thumb|Woman draped in muslin and holding a [[hookah]] 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 [[east India|eastern India]], including the modern-day [[Indian state]]s of [[West Bengal]], [[Bihar]] and [[Orissa]]. This province was known as [[Bengal Subah]]. The city was founded during the reign of [[Jahangir|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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 September 2023 |title=Shah Jahan's Dhaka visit before he became the Mughal emperor |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/my-dhaka/news/shah-jahans-dhaka-visit-he-became-the-mughal-emperor-3413231 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908153928/https://www.thedailystar.net/my-dhaka/news/shah-jahans-dhaka-visit-he-became-the-mughal-emperor-3413231 |archive-date=8 September 2023 |access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref>Historical Background for the Establishment of Naib-Nazimship (Deputy Governorship for the four Divisions of Subah Bangla), ''Asiatic Society of Bangladesh''</ref> Bengal became the economic engine of the Mughal Empire. Dhaka played a key role in the [[proto-industrialisation|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]].<ref>Richard Maxwell Eaton (1996), The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760, page 202, University of California Press</ref> 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 [[Netherlands|Dutch]] imports from Asia, with many products being sold to Dutch ships in Bengali harbours and then transported to [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] in the [[Dutch East Indies]]. Bengal accounted for 50% of textiles and 80% of silks in Dutch textile imports from Asia.<ref>Om Prakash, "Empire, Mughal", in [[John J. McCusker]] (ed.), ''History of World Trade Since 1450'', vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2006, pp. 237–240, World History in Context. Retrieved 3 August 2017</ref> Silk was also exported to premodern [[Japan]].<ref>John F. Richards (1995), The Mughal Empire, page 202, Cambridge University Press</ref> The region had a large [[Shipbuilding in Bangladesh|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.<ref>Indrajit Ray (2011). Bengal Industries and the British Industrial Revolution (1757-1857). Routledge. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-136-82552-1.</ref> 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.<ref name="thedailystar3">{{Cite news |title=A discovery that may save Bara Katra |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/weekend-read/news/discovery-may-save-bara-katra-3132221 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001050745/https://www.thedailystar.net/weekend-read/news/discovery-may-save-bara-katra-3132221 |archive-date=1 October 2022 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> According to inscriptions in the Bangladesh National Museum, the ownership of Bara Katra was entrusted to an Islamic ''[[waqf]]''.<ref name="thedailystar3" /> The Bara Katra also served as a residence for Mughal governors, including Prince [[Shah Shuja (Mughal prince)|Shah Shuja]] (the son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan).<ref name="thedailystar3" /> Dhaka was home to an array of Mughal bureaucrats and military officials, as well as members of the imperial family. The city was guarded by [[Mughal artillery]] like the [[Bibi Mariam Cannon]] (Lady Mary Cannon). [[Islam Khan I]] was the first Mughal governor to reside in the city.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwHFBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 |title=Megacities: Our Global Urban Future |publisher=Springer |year=2013 |isbn=978-90-481-3417-5 |editor-last=Kraas |editor-first=Frauke |page=60 |editor-last2=Aggarwal |editor-first2=Surinder |editor-last3=Coy |editor-first3=Martin |editor-last4=Mertins |editor-first4=Günter}}</ref> 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 {{convert|19|by|13|km}}, with a population of nearly one million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2012 |title=State of Cities: Urban Governance in Dhaka |url=http://dspace.bracu.ac.bd/bitstream/handle/10361/2055/SOC%20Report-%2005-07-12.pdf?sequence=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216192205/http://dspace.bracu.ac.bd/bitstream/handle/10361/2055/SOC%20Report-%2005-07-12.pdf?sequence=1 |archive-date=16 February 2015 |access-date=16 February 2015 |website=BRAC University}}</ref> Dhaka became home to one of the richest elites in Mughal India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shay |first=Christopher |title=Travel – Saving Dhaka's heritage |url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110815-saving-dhakas-heritage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205130440/http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110815-saving-dhakas-heritage |archive-date=5 December 2014 |access-date=18 February 2015 |website=BBC}}</ref> The construction of [[Lalbagh Fort]] was commenced in 1678 by [[Muhammad Azam Shah|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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 June 2015 |title=Legends of Lalbagh |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/heritage/legends-lalbagh-95554 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024144002/https://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/heritage/legends-lalbagh-95554 |archive-date=24 October 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> 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=== [[File:Court of the Naib Nazim of Dhaka.jpg|thumb|Court of the [[Naib Nazim of Dhaka]], the governor of Dhaka, Chittagong and Comilla under the Nawabs of Bengal]] Under the Nawabs of Bengal, the [[Naib Nazim of Dhaka]] was in charge of the city. The [[Naib Nazim of Dhaka|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]].{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} 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.<ref>Lloyd's Evening Post, 16–18 May 1764</ref> The military conflict caused a sharp decline in the urban population.<ref>Historical Background for the Establishment of Naib-Nazimship (Deputy Governorship for the four Divisions of Subah Bangla), Asiatic Society of Bangladesh</ref> Dhaka's fortunes received a boost with connections to the mercantile networks of the [[British Empire]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Srangio |first=Sebastian |date=1 October 2010 |title=Dhaka: Saving Old Dhaka's Landmarks |url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/letters/dhaka-saving-old-dhaka's-landmarks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909110251/http://www.caravanmagazine.in/letters/dhaka-saving-old-dhaka%E2%80%99s-landmarks |archive-date=9 September 2015 |magazine=The Caravan}}</ref> With the dawn of the [[Industrial Revolution]] in [[United Kingdom|Britain]], Dhaka became a leading centre of the [[jute trade]], as Bengal accounted for the largest share of the world's [[jute]] production.<ref name="worldviewcities.org">{{Cite web |title=Worldview |url=http://www.worldviewcities.org/dhaka/unconcealed.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413054048/http://worldviewcities.org/dhaka/unconcealed.html |archive-date=13 April 2015 |access-date=14 August 2015}}</ref> 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,<ref>Taylor, James (1840). A Sketch of the Topography and Statistics of Dacca. Calcutta: G.H. Huttmann, Military Orphan Press. pp. 301–307.</ref> as well as the surge in imports of cheap, British-manufactured fabrics after the advent of the spinning mule and steam power.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} 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".<ref>Lalbagh Kella (Lalbagh Fort) Dhaka Bangladesh 2011 54.JPG</ref> ===Trade and migration=== [[File:19th century porcelain rice dish of Old Dhaka family.jpg|thumb|[[China (porcelain)]] belonging to a family of Old Dhaka in the 1800s.]] Dhaka hosted factories of the English East India Company, the [[Dutch East India Company]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 February 2018 |title=The rise and fall of the Dutch in Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/the-rise-and-fall-the-dutch-dhaka-1530046 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164533/https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/the-rise-and-fall-the-dutch-dhaka-1530046 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> and [[French Indies Company|French East India Company]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=French, the |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/French,_The |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164533/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/French,_The |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 January 2014 |title=Você fala Bangla? |url=https://archive.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2014/01/24/voce-fala-bangla |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164533/https://archive.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2014/01/24/voce-fala-bangla |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Portuguese influence in Bengal |url=https://dailyasianage.com/news/241706/portuguese-influence-in-bengal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164531/https://dailyasianage.com/news/241706/portuguese-influence-in-bengal |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The Asian Age |location=Bangladesh}}</ref> Dhaka saw an influx of migrants during the Mughal Empire. An [[Armenian community of Dhaka|Armenian community]] from the [[Safavid Empire]] settled in Dhaka and was involved in the city's textile trade, paying a 3.5% tax.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ali |first1=Ansar |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |last2=Chaudhury |first2=Sushil |last3=Islam |first3=Sirajul |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |year=2012 |editor-last=Islam |editor-first=Sirajul |editor-link=Sirajul Islam |edition=Second |chapter=Armenians, The |access-date=28 September 2022 |editor-last2=Jamal |editor-first2=Ahmed A. |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenians,_The |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140831/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenians,_The |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Armenians were very active in the city's social life. They opened the [[Pogose School]]. [[Marwari people|Marwari]]s were the Hindu trading community. Dhaka also became home to [[History of Jews in Bangladesh|Jews]] and Greeks.<ref name="thejc">{{Cite news |title=The extraordinary story of the Bangladesh Jews |url=https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/features/the-extraordinary-story-of-the-bangladesh-jews-1.58433 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164532/https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/features/the-extraordinary-story-of-the-bangladesh-jews-1.58433 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The Jewish Chronicle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=11 January 2021 |title=History of the Greek community in Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/history-the-greek-community-dhaka-2025501 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164535/https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/history-the-greek-community-dhaka-2025501 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> The city has a [[Greek Memorial, Dhaka|Greek memorial]]. Several families of Dhaka's elite spoke [[Dhakaiya Urdu|Urdu]] and included Urdu poets. [[Persian people|Persians]] also settled in the city to serve as administrators and military commanders of the Mughal government in Bengal.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Karim |first=Abdul |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |year=2012 |editor-last=Islam |editor-first=Sirajul |editor-link=Sirajul Islam |edition=Second |chapter=Iranians, The |access-date=28 September 2022 |editor-last2=Jamal |editor-first2=Ahmed A. |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Iranians,_The |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702011005/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Iranians,_The |archive-date=2 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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".<ref name="himalmag1">{{Cite magazine |date=26 March 2019 |title=Out of place, out of time |url=https://www.himalmag.com/zafar-sobhan-dhaka-bangladesh/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164534/https://www.himalmag.com/zafar-sobhan-dhaka-bangladesh/ |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |magazine=Himal Southasian}}</ref> Railway stations, postal departments, civil service posts and river port stations were often staffed by [[Anglo-Indians]].<ref>Railways, steamer services, postal departments and lower civil services</ref> The city's hinterland supplied rice, jute, [[gunny sack]]s, turmeric, ginger, leather hides, silk, rugs, [[saltpeter]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saltpetre |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Saltpetre |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024151133/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Saltpetre |archive-date=24 October 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> salt,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salt Industry |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Salt_Industry |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024151131/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Salt_Industry |archive-date=24 October 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> sugar, [[indigo]], cotton, and iron.<ref name="bp-americans">{{Cite web |title=Americans, The |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Americans,_The |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024151135/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Americans,_The |archive-date=24 October 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> British opium policy in Bengal contributed to the [[Opium War]]s 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]].<ref name="bp-americans" /> The increase in international trade led to profits for many families in the city, allowing them to buy imported luxury goods. ===British Raj=== During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian mutiny of 1857]], the city witnessed revolts by the [[Bengal Army]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Rare 1857 reports on Bengal uprisings |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Rare-1857-reports-on-Bengal-uprisings/articleshow/4637780.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105205019/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Rare-1857-reports-on-Bengal-uprisings/articleshow/4637780.cms |archive-date=5 January 2017 |access-date=14 August 2015 |work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> [[British Raj|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 [[Bahadur Shah Park|Victoria Park]]. Dhaka got its own version of the [[hansom cab]] as public transport in 1856.<ref name="transport">{{Cite news |date=24 September 2018 |title=From Elephants to Motor Cars |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/elephants-motor-cars-1637557 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609060318/https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/elephants-motor-cars-1637557 |archive-date=9 June 2020 |access-date=9 June 2020 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> The number of carriages increased from 60 in 1867 to 600 in 1889.<ref name=transport/> [[File:Race-course-dhaka-1890 2.jpg|thumb|A horse racing [[Derby (horse race)|derby]] taking place in Dhaka in 1890.]] [[File:Lord Curzon at Ramna.jpg|thumb|[[Lord Curzon]] (standing far left) with early automobiles in [[Shahbag]] in 1904]] A modern civic water system was introduced in 1874.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dhaka WASA |url=http://dwasa.org.bd/index.php/home/history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206090551/http://dwasa.org.bd/index.php/home/history/ |archive-date=6 February 2015 |access-date=18 February 2015 |publisher=Dwasa.org.bd}}</ref> 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.<ref name="en.banglapedia.org">{{Cite web |title=Railway |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010143242/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway |archive-date=10 October 2017 |access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref> The city later became a hub of the [[Eastern Bengal Railway|Eastern Bengal State Railway]].<ref name="en.banglapedia.org" /> The first [[film]] shown in Dhaka was screened on the Riverfront Crown Theatre on 17 April 1898.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |title=Film, Feature |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Film,_Feature |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926202745/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Film,_Feature |archive-date=26 September 2018 |access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref> The film show was organized by the Bedford Bioscope Company.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> The electricity supply began in 1901.<ref name="tusher.kobiraj.com">{{Cite web |date=18 July 2013 |title=History of Electricity in Bangladesh | Thcapriciousboy |url=http://www.tusher.kobiraj.com/history-electricity-bangladesh.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216195149/http://www.tusher.kobiraj.com/history-electricity-bangladesh.html |archive-date=16 February 2015 |access-date=18 February 2015 |publisher=Tusher.kobiraj.com}}</ref> 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".<ref name="himalmag1" /> Some of the early educational institutions established during the period of British rule include the [[Dhaka College]], the [[Sir Salimullah Medical College|Dhaka Medical School]], the [[Eden Mohila College|Eden College]], [[St Gregory's High School|St. Gregory's School]], the Mohsinia Madrasa, [[Jagannath University|Jagannath College]] and the [[Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology|Ahsanullah School of Engineering]]. [[Horse racing]] was a favourite pastime for elite residents in the city's Ramna Race Course beside the [[Dhaka Club]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ramna Racecourse |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Ramna_Racecourse |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001145756/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Ramna_Racecourse |archive-date=1 October 2022 |access-date=1 October 2022 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> The [[Viceroy of India]] would often dine and entertain with Bengali aristocrats in the city. [[Automobile]]s 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-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]]s. [[Austin Motor Company|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 [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|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 [[Charles Stuart Bayley|Sir Charles Stuart Bayley]] (1911–1912). Their legacy lives on in the names of three major thoroughfares in modern Dhaka, including Hare Road,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rahman Chowdhury |first=Abida |date=11 February 2014 |title=Dhaka through its streets |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/dhaka-through-its-streets-10591 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929125945/https://www.thedailystar.net/dhaka-through-its-streets-10591 |archive-date=29 September 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)]]}}</ref> [[Bailey Road, Dhaka|Bayley Road]], and Fuller Road.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 July 2018 |title=A Short, Winding and Legendary Dhaka Road |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/literature/short-winding-and-legendary-dhaka-road-1601140 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929125942/https://www.thedailystar.net/literature/short-winding-and-legendary-dhaka-road-1601140 |archive-date=29 September 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)]]}}</ref> 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 in Dhaka|Armenians]], [[History of the Jews in Bangladesh|Jews]],<ref name="thejc" /> Anglo-Indians and Hindus. The Hindus included both [[Marwari people|Marwaris]] and [[Bengali Hindus]], with a plurality emerging by 1941 and engaged in professions like teaching, medicine, law, and business.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rahman |first=Mohammad Afzalur |date=2 December 2022 |title=Dhaka before and after Partition |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/dhaka-and-after-partition-3185521 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416162455/https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/dhaka-and-after-partition-3185521 |archive-date=16 April 2023 |access-date=16 April 2023 |work=The Daily Star |type=Opinion}}</ref> [[File:Panorama of Dacca 19th century 1.jpg|thumb|center|800px|Panorama of the Dhaka waterfront in 1847]] Dhaka was the seat of government for 4 administrative divisions, including the Assam Valley Division, [[Chittagong Division]], [[Dhaka 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 [[Barisal Division|Backergunge]] in Dacca Division; [[Comilla Division|Tippera]], Noakhali, Chittagong and the [[Hill Tracts]] in Chittagong Division; Rajshahi, Dinajpur, [[Jalpaiguri division|Jalpaiguri]], Rangpur, Bogra, Pabna and [[Malda division|Malda]] in Rajshahi Division; Sylhet, [[Barak Valley|Cachar]], the [[Khasi and Jaintia Hills]], the [[Nagaland|Naga Hills]] and the [[Mizoram|Lushai Hills]] in Surma Valley Division; and [[Goalpara district|Goalpara]], [[Undivided Kamrup district|Kamrup]], the [[Meghalaya|Garo Hills]], [[Darrang]], [[Nagaon district|Nowgong]], [[Sivasagar district|Sibsagar]] and [[Lakhimpur district|Lakhimpur]] in Assam Valley Division.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Eastern Bengal and Assam}}</ref> The province was bordered by [[Cooch Behar State]], [[Hill Tipperah]] and the [[Kingdom of Bhutan]]. [[File:Bengal gazetteer 1907-9.jpg|thumb|Dhaka was the capital of [[Eastern Bengal and Assam]] in the [[British Raj]] between 1905 and 1912]] [[File:DG 21 -08 HIGH COURT DHAKA IMG 3402.jpg|thumb|[[Old High Court Building, Dhaka]] ]] On the political front, partition allowed Dhaka to project itself as the standard-bearer of Muslim communities in [[British Raj|British India]]; as opposed to the heavily Hindu-dominated city of Calcutta.<ref name="worldviewcities.org" /> In 1906, the [[All India Muslim League]] was founded in the city during a conference on liberal education hosted by the [[Khwaja Salimullah|Nawab of Dhaka]] and the [[Aga Khan III]]. The Muslim population in Dhaka and eastern Bengal generally favoured partition in the hopes of getting better jobs and educational opportunities. Many Bengalis, however, opposed the bifurcation of the ethnolinguistic region. The partition was annulled by an announcement from King [[George V]] during the [[Delhi Durbar]] in 1911. The British decided to reunite Bengal while the [[capital of India]] was shifted to [[New Delhi]] from Calcutta. As a "splendid compensation" for the annulment of partition,<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 August 2017 |title=University of Dhaka and the partitioning of Bengal |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/dhaka-university-and-the-partitioning-bengal-1453546 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929125945/https://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/dhaka-university-and-the-partitioning-bengal-1453546 |archive-date=29 September 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 December 2014 |title=Was Dhaka University ever the "Oxford of the East"? |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/was-dhaka-university-ever-the-oxford-of-the-east-57343 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929125941/https://www.thedailystar.net/was-dhaka-university-ever-the-oxford-of-the-east-57343 |archive-date=29 September 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref><ref name="newagebd1">{{Cite news |title='Oxford of the East' or the 'Mecca University'? |url=https://www.newagebd.net/article/156210/oxford-of-the-east-or-the-mecca-university |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929125943/https://www.newagebd.net/article/156210/oxford-of-the-east-or-the-mecca-university |archive-date=29 September 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=New Age}}</ref> The university's faculty included scientist [[Satyendra Nath Bose]] (who is the namesake of the [[Higgs boson]]); linguist [[Muhammad Shahidullah]], [[Ahmad Fazlur Rahman|Sir A F Rahman]] (the first Bengali vice-chancellor of the university); and historian [[R. C. Majumdar]].<ref name="newagebd1" /> The university was established in 1921 by the [[Imperial Legislative Council]]. It started with three faculties and 12 departments, covering the subjects of Sanskrit, Bengali, English, [[Liberal arts education|liberal arts]], history, Arabic, Islamic Studies, Persian, Urdu, philosophy, economics, politics, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and law. The East Bengal Cinematograph Company produced the first full-length [[silent film|silent movies]] in Dhaka during the 1920s, including ''[[Sukumari]]'' and ''[[The Last Kiss (1931 film)|The Last Kiss]]''.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> DEVCO, a subsidiary of the Occtavian Steel Company, began widescale [[Electric power|power]] distribution in 1930.<ref name="tusher.kobiraj.com" /> The [[Tejgaon Airport]] was constructed during [[World War II]] as a base for [[Allies of World War II|Allied Forces]]. The [[Dhaka Medical College]] was established in 1946. At the time of the partition of India, many rich Hindu families relocated to West Bengal. Their properties were seized by the state under laws that eventually became known as the [[Vested Property Act (Bangladesh)|Vested Property Act]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Roy |first=Dipanwita |date=21 April 2007 |title=Vested Property Act: A story of deprivation and exploitation |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/law/2007/04/03/rights.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416164939/https://archive.thedailystar.net/law/2007/04/03/rights.htm |archive-date=16 April 2023 |access-date=16 April 2023 |magazine=Law & Our Rights |publisher=The Daily Star}}</ref> ===Metropolitan Dhaka=== [[File:Time-lapse of the urban growth of Dhaka, Bangladesh as seen from space (1972 to 2001).webm|thumb|NASA animation showing the urban growth of Dhaka from 1972 to 2001.]] [[File:Motijheel, Dhaka, 1980s.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Dhaka's main CBD in the 1980s]] [[File:Gulshan, Dhaka, 1980s.jpg|thumb|A suburban residential neighbourhood in the 1980s]] The development of the "real city" began after the [[partition of India]].<ref name="himalmag1" /> After partition, Dhaka became known as the ''second capital'' of [[Pakistan]].<ref name="himalmag1" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=20 August 2018 |title=How politics and architecture blended in Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/opinion/the-grudging-urbanist/how-politics-and-architecture-blended-dhaka-1623103 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164532/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/opinion/the-grudging-urbanist/how-politics-and-architecture-blended-dhaka-1623103 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The Daily Star |type=Opinion}}</ref> This was formalized in 1962 when [[Ayub Khan (general)|Ayub Khan]] declared the city as the legislative capital under the [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1962|1962 constitution]]. New neighbourhoods began to spring up in formerly barren and agrarian areas. These included [[Dhanmondi Thana|Dhanmondi]] (rice granary), Katabon (thorn forest), Kathalbagan (jackfruit garden), [[Kalabagan]] (banana garden), [[Segunbagicha]] (teak garden) and [[Gulshan Thana|Gulshan]] (flower garden).<ref name="himalmag1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=পুরান ঢাকার সাতসতেরো |url=https://www.sonalinews.com/feature/news/114285 |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=সোনালী নিউজ |language=en |archive-date=1 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501132638/https://www.sonalinews.com/feature/news/114285 |url-status=live }}</ref> Living standards rapidly improved from the pre-partition standards.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ahmed |first=K. Anis |date=16 August 2017 |title=Opinion | Why do Bangladeshis Seem Indifferent to Partition? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/opinion/bangladesh-bengali-muslims-partition.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829170711/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/opinion/bangladesh-bengali-muslims-partition.html |archive-date=29 August 2017 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The economy began to industrialize. On the outskirts of the city, the [[Adamjee Jute Mills|world's largest jute mill]] was built. The mill produced jute goods which were in high demand during the [[Korean War]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Unthreading Partition: The politics of jute sharing between two Bengals |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/unthreading-partition-the-politics-jute-sharing-between-two-bengals-1778560 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106084737/https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/unthreading-partition-the-politics-jute-sharing-between-two-bengals-1778560 |archive-date=6 November 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> People began building duplex houses. In 1961, [[Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip]] witnessed the improved living standards of Dhaka's residents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 November 2018 |title=Queen Elizabeth II in Bangladesh (1961) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_sS-WU9yWc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928164532/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_sS-WU9yWc&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> The [[InterContinental Dhaka|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 [[RAJUK|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Part II: Formulation of Urban and Transport Plan |url=http://open_jicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11996774_06.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212084236/http://open_jicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11996774_06.pdf |archive-date=12 February 2018 |access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref> 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 ''[[The Bangladesh Observer|Pakistan Observer]]'', ''[[The Daily Ittefaq|Ittefaq]],'' ''[[Forum (Bangladesh)|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 [[Suhrawardy Udyan|Ramna Race Course Maidan]] in Dhaka, in which he warned of an independence struggle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |url=http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/culture/people-of-bangladesh/sheikh-mujibur-rahman/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216193211/http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/culture/people-of-bangladesh/sheikh-mujibur-rahman/ |archive-date=16 February 2015 |access-date=18 February 2015 |publisher=Virtual Bangladesh}}</ref><ref name="Richards2003">{{Cite journal |last=Richards |first=John |date=July–September 2003 |title=Calcutta and Dhaka: A Tale of Two Cities |url=http://www.cdrb.org/journal/2003/3/3.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Asian Affairs |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=49–57 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216201250/http://www.cdrb.org/journal/2003/3/3.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2015 |access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref> Subsequently, East Pakistan came under a [[Non-cooperation movement (1971)|non-co-operation]] movement against the Pakistani state. On Pakistan's Republic Day (23 March 1971), [[Flag of Bangladesh|Bangladeshi flags]] were hoisted throughout Dhaka in a show of resistance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thorpe |first=Edgar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I9OyQ9mEpxkC&pg=SL1-PA125 |title=The Pearson General Knowledge Manual 2012 |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2012 |isbn=978-81-317-6190-8 |page=A.125 |access-date=18 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118102206/https://books.google.com/books?id=I9OyQ9mEpxkC&pg=SL1-PA125&lpg=SL1-PA125&q=23+march+1971+republic+day+east+pakistan |archive-date=18 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 25 March 1971, the [[Pakistan Army]] launched military operations under [[Operation Searchlight]] against the population of East Pakistan.<ref name="books.google.com.bd">{{Cite book |last=Jahan |first=Rounaq |author-link=Rounaq Jahan |title=Centuries of Genocide: Essays and Eyewitness Accounts |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-415-87191-4 |editor-last=Totten |editor-first=Samuel |edition=4th |page=254 |chapter=Genocide in Bangladesh |access-date=18 February 2015 |editor-last2=Parsons |editor-first2=William Spencer |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6XYp-z5aP4MC&pg=PA254}}</ref> Dhaka bore the brunt of the army's atrocities, witnessing a [[1971 Bangladesh genocide|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 [[mutiny|mutinies]] from the [[East Pakistan Rifles]] and the Bengali police.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nandi |first=Bibhuti Bhusan |title=Science, Technology, Imperialism, and War |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2007 |isbn=978-81-317-0851-4 |editor-last=Gupta |editor-first=Jyoti Bhusan Das |page=732 |chapter=Low-Intensity War |access-date=18 February 2015 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJuM4FylchwC&pg=PA732}}</ref> Large parts of the city were burnt and destroyed, including Hindu neighbourhoods.<ref name="books.google.com.bd" /> Much of the city's population was either displaced or forced to flee to the countryside.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 December 2014 |title=Fall of Dhaka: Memories of a bloody December – Pakistan |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1151151 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130124156/http://www.dawn.com/news/1151151 |archive-date=30 January 2015 |access-date=18 February 2015 |work=Dawn |location=Pakistan}}</ref> Dhaka was struck with numerous air raids by the [[Indian Air Force]] in [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|December]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Salik |first=Siddiq |author-link=Siddique Salik |title=Witness to Surrender |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1977 |isbn=0-19-577257-1 |page=195}}</ref> The Pakistan Eastern Command [[Pakistani Instrument of Surrender|surrendered]] to Lt. Gen. [[Jagjit Singh Aurora]] at the [[Ramna Race Course]] in Dhaka on 16 December 1971.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jacob |first=J. F. R. |author-link=J. F. R. Jacob |title=Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation |publisher=Manohar |year=1997 |isbn=81-7304-189-X |pages=146–147}}</ref> 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.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} 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 [[Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban|National Parliament House]] (which won the [[Aga Khan Award for Architecture]]), a new [[Dhaka Airport|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dhaka Declaration |url=http://www.saarc-sec.org/userfiles/01-Dhaka-1stSummit1985.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607131812/http://www.saarc-sec.org/userfiles/01-Dhaka-1stSummit1985.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2016 |access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref> A mass uprising in 1990 led to the return of [[parliamentary democracy]]. Dhaka hosted a trilateral summit between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in 1998;<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Habib |first=Haroon |date=24 January 1998 |title=An economic initiative |url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1502/15020520.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118102213/https://frontline.thehindu.com/magazine/issue/vol15-02/ |archive-date=18 January 2021 |access-date=11 February 2018 |magazine=Frontline}}</ref> the summit of the [[D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation]] in 1999 and conferences of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hossain |first=Shahadat |date=January 2008 |title=Rapid Urban Growth and Poverty in Dhaka City |url=http://www.bangladeshsociology.org/BEJS%205.1%20Rapid%20Urban%20Growth%20and%20Poverty%20final.pdf?q=dhaka |url-status=live |journal=Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology |volume=5 |issue=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818115752/http://www.bangladeshsociology.org/BEJS%205.1%20Rapid%20Urban%20Growth%20and%20Poverty%20final.pdf?q=dhaka |archive-date=18 August 2016 |access-date=24 September 2016}}</ref> Between 1990 and 2005, the city's population doubled from 6 million to 12 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dhaka: fastest growing megacity in the world |url=https://theworld.org/stories/2010-09-08/dhaka-fastest-growing-megacity-world |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119194102/https://theworld.org/stories/2010-09-08/dhaka-fastest-growing-megacity-world |archive-date=19 January 2022 |access-date=19 January 2022 |website=The World from PRX |date=2 August 2016 |language=en}}</ref> There has been increased [[Foreign direct investment|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.<ref name="ReferenceB" /><ref name="voabangla.com" /><ref name="ReferenceC" /> But frequent [[hartal]]s by political parties have greatly hampered the city's economy.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.un-bd.org/Docs/Publication/Beyond%20Hartals.pdf |title=Beyond Hartals: Towards Democratic Dialogue in Bangladesh |date=March 2005 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh |isbn=984-32-1424-2 |access-date=4 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305063333/http://www.un-bd.org/Docs/Publication/Beyond%20Hartals.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="content.time.com">{{Cite magazine |last=Carbone |first=Nick |date=26 October 2011 |title=The 10 Fastest-Growing Cities of Tomorrow: 2. Dhaka, Bangladesh |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2097720_2097718_2097713,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708134803/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2097720_2097718_2097713,00.html |archive-date=8 July 2017 |access-date=19 January 2022 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |issn=0040-781X}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="CBSN">{{Cite news |title=Dhaka, Bangladesh: Fastest Growing City in the World |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dhaka-bangladesh-fastest-growing-city-in-the-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917105225/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dhaka-bangladesh-fastest-growing-city-in-the-world/ |archive-date=17 September 2018 |access-date=22 February 2019 |work=CBS News}}</ref> Most of its population are rural migrants, including [[climate refugees]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Short City Profile on Dhaka City: Adaptation Issues for Climate Change?? |url=http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/fileadmin/sites/resilient-cities/files/docs/B4-Bonn2010-Hamidul.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411211112/http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/fileadmin/sites/resilient-cities/files/docs/B4-Bonn2010-Hamidul.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2019 |access-date=4 March 2018}}</ref> [[Traffic congestion|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.<ref name="TNR">{{Cite magazine |title=Welcome to the Traffic Capital of the World |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/118416/what-dhaka-bangladesh-traffic-capital-world-can-teach-us |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917143131/https://newrepublic.com/article/118416/what-dhaka-bangladesh-traffic-capital-world-can-teach-us |archive-date=17 September 2018 |access-date=22 February 2019 |magazine=The New Republic}}</ref> The first phase of [[Dhaka Metro Rail]] from [[Uttara (town)|Uttara]] to [[Agargaon]] was inaugurated by [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh|Prime Minister]] [[Sheikh Hasina]] on 28 December 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-12-28 |title=PM opens country's first metro rail |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/special-events/dhaka-metro-rail-opening/news/pm-opens-countrys-first-metro-rail-3207081 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230115043453/https://www.thedailystar.net/special-events/dhaka-metro-rail-opening/news/pm-opens-countrys-first-metro-rail-3207081 |archive-date=2023-01-15 |access-date=2023-01-15 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref> However, nearly one third of Dhaka's population lives in [[slum]]s, as of 2016.<ref name=":1" /> The city's main river, the [[Buriganga River]], has become one of the most polluted rivers in the country.<ref name="Majumder 2009" /><ref name="the Guardian 2015" /> == Geography == {{See also|Geography of Bangladesh}} ===Topography=== {{multiple image | direction = horizontal | total_width = 400 | caption_align = centre | image1 = Dhaka, Bangladesh.jpg | image2 = | caption1 = View of Dhaka from the [[International Space Station]] | caption2 = | image3 = Dhaka oli 202279 lrg.jpg | caption3 = Satellite view of [[Greater Dhaka]] metropolitan area }} Dhaka is located in central Bangladesh at {{Coord|23|42|N|90|22|E|type:city_region:BD|display=inline}}, on the eastern banks of the [[Buriganga River]]. The city lies on the lower reaches of the [[Ganges Delta]] and covers a total area of {{convert|270|km2|sqmi}}. Tropical vegetation and moist soils characterize the land, which is flat and close to sea level. This leaves Dhaka susceptible to flooding during the [[monsoon]] seasons owing to heavy rainfall and [[cyclone]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hough |first=Michael |title=Cities and natural process |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-29855-5 |pages=64–65}}</ref> Due to its location on the lowland plain of the Ganges Delta, the city is fringed by extensive mangroves and tidal flat ecosystems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=N.J. |last2=Clemens |first2=R.S. |last3=Phinn |first3=S.R. |last4=Possingham |first4=H.P. |last5=Fuller |first5=R.A. |date=2014 |title=Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea |url=https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=267–272 |bibcode=2014FrEE...12..267M |doi=10.1890/130260 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207073933/https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf |archive-date=7 December 2021 |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> Dhaka District is bounded by the districts of [[Gazipur District|Gazipur]], [[Tangail District|Tangail]], [[Munshiganj District|Munshiganj]], [[Rajbari District|Rajbari]], [[Narayanganj District|Narayanganj]], and [[Manikganj District|Manikganj]]. The city of Dhaka is built over a network of rivers. The city’s life is strongly intertwined with the rivers, as they are used for multiple purposes, including transportation.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Bussi |first1=Gianbattista |last2=Shawal |first2=Shammi |last3=Hossain |first3=Mohammed Abed |last4=Whitehead |first4=Paul G. |last5=Jin |first5=Li |date=2023 |title=Multibranch Modelling of Flow and Water Quality in the Dhaka River System, Bangladesh: Impacts of Future Development Plans and Climate Change |journal=Water |language=en |volume=15 |issue=17 |pages=3027 |doi=10.3390/w15173027 |issn=2073-4441 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2023Water..15.3027B }} [[File:CC-BY_icon.svg|50x50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [[creativecommons:by/4.0/|Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]]</ref> === Cityscape === [[File:Dhaka 14th March (32595709004).jpg|thumb|Cityscape of Dhaka]] Except [[Old Dhaka]], which is an old [[bazaar]]-style neighbourhood, the layout of the city follows a grid pattern with organic development influenced by traditional South Asian as well as Middle Eastern and Western patterns. Growth of the city is largely unplanned and is focused on the northern regions and around the city centre, where many of the more affluent neighbourhoods may be found.<ref name="Sohn Moudon Lee pp. 115–128">{{Cite journal |last1=Sohn |first1=Dong Wook |last2=Moudon |first2=Anne Vernez |last3=Lee |first3=Jeasun |date=4 April 2012 |title=The economic value of walkable neighborhoods |journal=Urban Design International |publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=115–128 |doi=10.1057/udi.2012.1 |issn=1357-5317 |s2cid=109091026}}</ref> Most of the construction in the city consists of concrete [[high-rise building]]s. Middle-class and upper-class housing, along with commercial and industrial areas, occupy most of the city. However, nearly one third of Dhaka's population lives in [[slum]]s, as of 2016 (see below).<ref name=":1" /> Dhaka does not have a well-defined [[central business district]]. [[Old Dhaka]] is the historic commercial centre, but most development has moved to the north. In 1985, the area around [[Motijheel Thana|Motijheel]] was considered the "modern" CBD, while by 2005 [[Gulshan Thana|Gulshan]] was considered the "newest" part of the CBD. Many Bangladeshi government institutions can be found in [[Motijheel Thana|Motijheel]], [[Segunbagicha]], [[Tejgaon Thana|Tejgaon]], [[Karwan Bazar]], and [[Sher-e-Bangla Nagar]].<ref name="Siddiqui2010">{{Cite book |last1=Siddiqui |first1=K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xqTeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT32 |title=Social Formation in Dhaka, 1985-2005: A Longitudinal Study of Society in a Third World Megacity |last2=Ahmed |first2=J. |last3=Siddique |first3=K. |last4=Huq |first4=S. |last5=Hossain |first5=A. |last6=Nazimud-Doula |first6=S. |last7=Rezawana |first7=N. |publisher=Routledge |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-317-05400-9 |pages=6, 12 |access-date=3 February 2022}}</ref> Much activity is centred around a few large roads, where road laws are rarely obeyed and street vendors and beggars are frequently encountered.<ref name="Sohn Moudon Lee pp. 115–128" /><ref name="Kalabamu 1987 pp. 123–131">{{Cite journal |last=Kalabamu |first=Faustin T. |year=1987 |title=Rickshaws and the traffic problems of Dhaka |journal=Habitat International |publisher=Elsevier BV |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=123–131 |doi=10.1016/0197-3975(87)90063-4 |issn=0197-3975}}</ref> For much of recent history, Dhaka was characterized by roadside markets and small shops that sold a wide variety of goods.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Seabrook |first=Jeremy |url=https://archive.org/details/incitiesofsouths0004seab/page/221 |title=In the Cities of the South: Scenes from a Developing World |publisher=Verso Books |year=1996 |isbn=1-85984-081-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/incitiesofsouths0004seab/page/221 221]}}</ref> Recent years have seen the widespread construction of shopping malls.<ref>{{Cite book |title=World and Its Peoples |publisher=Marshall Cavendish Corporation |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7614-7631-3 |page=489}}</ref> Two of the largest shopping malls in the city and the wider South Asian region are the [[Jamuna Future Park]] and [[Bashundhara City]]. === Climate === {{Main|Climate of Dhaka}} Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Dhaka has a [[tropical savanna climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Aw''). The city has a distinct monsoonal season, with an annual average temperature of {{convert|26|C|F|abbr=on}} and monthly means varying between {{convert|19|C|F|abbr=on}} in January and {{convert|29|C|F|abbr=on}} in May.<ref name="weather1">{{Cite web |title=Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Dhaka, Bangladesh |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=032914&refer=/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123042049/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=032914&refer=%2F |archive-date=23 November 2015 |access-date=15 December 2008 |publisher=weatherbase.com}}</ref> Approximately 87% of the average annual rainfall of {{convert|2123|mm|in|abbr=off}} occurs between May and October.<ref name="weather1" /> According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, Dhaka is one of the world's 20 most polluted cities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's Most Polluted Cities 2024 {{!}} AQI Ranking |url=https://www.aqi.in/world-most-polluted-cities |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=www.aqi.in |language=en}}</ref> {{Dhaka weatherbox}} === Parks and greenery === [[File:Ramna Park, Dhaka , Bangladesh 10.jpg|thumb|[[Ramna Park]] is the largest park in the city]] There are many parks within Dhaka City, including [[Ramna Park]], [[Suhrawardy Udyan]], [[Shishu Park]], [[National Botanical Garden of Bangladesh|National Botanical Garden]], [[Baldha Garden]], [[Chandrima Uddan]], Gulshan Park and [[Dhaka Zoo]]. === Rivers and lakes === Almost 10% of the city's area consists of water: There are 676 ponds and 43 canals.<ref name=":1" /> The [[Buriganga River]] flows past the southwest outskirts of Dhaka. Its average depth is {{convert|25|ft|m|disp=flip}} and its maximum depth is {{convert|58|ft|m|disp=flip}}. It ranks among the most polluted rivers in the country.<ref name="Majumder 2009">{{Cite web |last=Majumder |first=Azad |date=19 May 2009 |title=Bangladesh river pollution threatens millions |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-rivers-idUSTRE54I04G20090519 |access-date=9 January 2020 |website=Reuters |archive-date=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151829/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-rivers-idUSTRE54I04G20090519 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="the Guardian 2015">{{Cite web |date=23 October 2015 |title=The river runs black: pollution from Bangladesh's tanneries – in pictures |url=http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/gallery/2015/oct/23/the-river-runs-black-pollution-from-bangladeshs-tanneries-in-pictures |access-date=9 January 2020 |website=the Guardian}}</ref> The city is surrounded by six interconnected river systems—the Buriganga and [[Dhaleshwari River|Dhaleshwari]] in the southwest, [[Turag River|Turag]] and Tongi Khal in the north, and [[Balu River|Balu]] and [[Sitalakhya river|Sitalakhya]] in the east—which support trade, transport, and stormwater drainage.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Hoque |first1=Sonia Ferdous |last2=Peters |first2=Rebecca |last3=Whitehead |first3=Paul |last4=Hope |first4=Robert |last5=Hossain |first5=Mohammed Abed |date=2021 |title=River pollution and social inequalities in Dhaka, Bangladesh |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8432a5ca-0570-4f93-b082-8d158dc6dc66/files/sws859g42w |journal=Environmental Research Communications |volume=3 |issue=9 |pages=095003 |bibcode=2021ERCom...3i5003H |doi=10.1088/2515-7620/ac2458 |issn=2515-7620 |doi-access=free |archive-date=18 June 2024 |access-date=18 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618165139/https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8432a5ca-0570-4f93-b082-8d158dc6dc66/files/sws859g42w |url-status=live }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |date=16 October 2017 }}</ref> However, the current state of the [[water quality]] of the river network is very poor, due to the discharge of untreated [[wastewater]] from households and industries.<ref name=":02" /> There are several lakes within the city, such as Crescent Lake, [[Dhanmondi Lake]], [[Baridhara]]-[[Gulshan Lake]], [[Banani Lake|Banani lake]], [[Uttara Lake]], [[Hatirjheel|Hatirjheel-Begunbari]] Lake, 300 Feet Road Prionty lake, Ramna lake.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 October 2020 |title=20 Best Places to Visit in Dhaka Division |url=https://mybangla24.com/best-places-to-visit-in-dhaka-division |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029125856/https://mybangla24.com/best-places-to-visit-in-dhaka-division |archive-date=29 October 2020 |access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> === Environmental pollution === {{See also|Environmental issues in Bangladesh}} [[File:Pollution by a factory on the bank of the Buriganga near Dhaka 04.jpg|thumb|Pollution by a factory on the bank of the [[Buriganga]] near Dhaka in 2020]] Increasing air and water pollution affects public health and the quality of life in the city.<ref name="Geo2">{{Cite news |last=Mondal |first=M. Abdul Latif |date=27 September 2006 |title=Our Cities: 15th Anniversary Special |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities28.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302043917/http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities28.htm |archive-date=2 March 2007 |access-date=27 September 2006 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> The [[air pollution]] is caused for example by vehicle traffic and congestion. Also, due to the unregulated manufacturing of [[brick]]s and other causes, Dhaka has very high levels of fine particulate matter ([[PM2.5]]) air pollution.<ref name="UD9518">{{Cite news |last=Sohara Mehroze Shachi |date=5 September 2018 |title=Bangladesh's Air Pollution Problem Grows, Brick by Brick |url=https://undark.org/article/air-pollution-dhaka/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907141106/https://undark.org/article/air-pollution-dhaka/ |archive-date=7 September 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |work=Undark |quote=The kiln operations alone – while representing just 1 percent of the country's GDP – generate nearly 60 percent of the particulate pollution in Dhaka, according to Bangladesh's Department of Environment (DOE).}}</ref> [[Water pollution]] is caused by the discharge of municipal wastewater from households and industry without treatment. As of 2011 only 20% of the city is connected to a [[Sewerage|sewer system]], whereas 80% is not connected.<ref name=":1" /> As a result, the rivers in Dhaka have severe [[pathogen]] pollution, as indicated by the [[fecal coliform]] count that is several hundred times higher than the recommended national and international standards of less than 200 [[Colony-forming unit|cfu]] per litre for bathing and swimming.<ref name=":2" /> Chemical surveys in the rivers near Dhaka show extremely high organic pollution loading, high [[Ammonia pollution|ammonia]], and very low [[dissolved oxygen]] levels, which are close to zero in the dry season.<ref name=":02" /> In addition to the organic and pathogen pollution load from the 1.2 million m<sup>3</sup> of untreated sewage, the rivers receive about 60,000 m<sup>3</sup> of industrial effluent every day from nine major industrial clusters (as of 2021).<ref name=":2" /> There are an estimated 500–700 wet processing and [[dyeing]] [[Textile factory|textile factories]] releasing a range of chemicals including salts, dyes and bleaches, and 155 [[tanneries]] discharging [[heavy metals]], including [[chromium]].<ref name=":2" /> Four of the rivers surrounding Dhaka—[[Buriganga River|Buriganaga]], [[Shitalakshya River|Sitalakhya]], [[Balu River|Balu]] and [[Turag River|Turag]]—are so polluted that they have been declared as ''ecologically critical areas'' in 2009 by the Department of Environment. This makes them unsuitable for any human use.<ref name=":2" /> Nevertheless, people living in low-income and slum areas still have a lot of direct contact with river water, exposing them to health risks. They use river water for dish washing, laundry, cleaning fish and vegetables, and personal washing, washing and dyeing [[denim]], washing fish baskets or plastic sheets, collecting plastic waste and fishing.<ref name=":2" /> As a result, many of the immediate environmental burdens of river pollution are borne by these low-income residents.<ref name=":2" /> Water bodies and [[wetland]]s around Dhaka are facing destruction as these are being filled up to construct multi-storied buildings and other real estate developments. Coupled with pollution, such erosion of natural habitats threatens to destroy much of the regional biodiversity.<ref name="Geo2" /> ==Government== ===Capital city=== [[File:1.জাতীয় সংসদ ভবন.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[National Parliament House]] complex is surrounded by 200 acres of gardens in the centre of the city]] As the capital of the [[People's Republic of Bangladesh]], Dhaka is home to numerous state and diplomatic institutions. The [[Bangabhaban]] is the official residence and workplace of the [[President of Bangladesh]], who is the ceremonial head of state under the constitution. The [[Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban|National Parliament House]] is located in the modernist capital complex designed by [[Louis Kahn]] in [[Sher-e-Bangla Nagar]], while the [[Ganabhaban]], known for being former prime minister [[Sheikh Hasina]]'s official residence, is situated on the north side. The [[Prime Minister's Office (Bangladesh)|Prime Minister's Office]] is located in Tejgaon. Most ministries of the [[Government of Bangladesh]] are housed in the Bangladesh Secretariat.<ref name="cabinet">{{Cite web |date=20 November 2016 |title=List of Ministries and Divisions |url=http://www.cabinet.gov.bd/site/page/55bcf4d6-dd85-45c1-94b6-bcb06e4b1b12/45/%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC-%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%82%E0%A6%B9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119141454/http://cabinet.gov.bd/site/page/55bcf4d6-dd85-45c1-94b6-bcb06e4b1b12/45/%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC-%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%82%E0%A6%B9 |archive-date=19 November 2016 |access-date=27 November 2016 |publisher=Cabinet Division}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of Bangladesh|Supreme Court]], the [[Dhaka High Court]] and the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bangladesh)|Foreign Ministry]] are located in the [[Segunbagicha]]-[[Shahbag]]h area. The [[Ministry of Defence (Bangladesh)|Defence Ministry]] and the [[Ministry of Planning (Bangladesh)|Ministry of Planning]] are located in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.<ref name=cabinet/> The [[Armed Forces Division]] of the government of Bangladesh and the army, navy and air force HQs of the [[Bangladesh Armed Forces]] are located in Dhaka Cantonment.<ref name=cabinet/> Several important installations of the [[Bangladesh Army]] are also situated in Dhaka and [[Mirpur Cantonment]]s. The [[Bangladesh Navy]]'s principal administrative and logistics base, [[BNS Haji Mohshin]], is located in Dhaka.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Navy Bases |url=http://www.navy.mil.bd/bases.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527111317/http://www.navy.mil.bd/bases.php |archive-date=27 May 2019 |access-date=30 January 2017 |publisher=Bangladesh Navy}}</ref> The [[Bangladesh Air Force]] maintains the BAF Bangabandhu Air Base and BAF Khademul Bashar Air Base in Dhaka.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Locations of Bangladesh Air Force Bases |url=http://www.joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd/index.php/main_controll/location_baf?1=1&pagemenu=location_baf&submenu=0&leafsub=0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119095215/http://www.joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd/index.php/main_controll/location_baf?1=1&pagemenu=location_baf&submenu=0&leafsub=0 |archive-date=19 January 2017 |access-date=30 January 2017 |publisher=Join Bangladesh Air Force}}</ref> Dhaka hosts [[List of diplomatic missions in Bangladesh|54 resident embassies and high commissions]] and numerous international organizations. Most diplomatic missions are located in the [[Gulshan Thana|Gulshan]] and [[Baridhara]] areas of the city. The [[Agargaon]] area near Parliament is home to the country offices of the [[United Nations]], the [[World Bank]], the [[Asian Development Bank]], and the [[Islamic Development Bank]]. ===Civic administration=== [[File:DG 81 - 09 NAGAR BHABAN ANCIENT DHAKA IMG 1655.jpg|thumb|[[Nagar Bhaban]] is the seat of the [[Dhaka South City Corporation]]]] ====History==== The municipality of Dhaka was founded on 1 August 1864 and upgraded to "[[municipal corporation|Metropolitan]]" status in 1978. In 1983, the [[Dhaka City Corporation]] was created as a self-governing entity to govern Dhaka.<ref name="star052015">{{Cite news |last=Md Shahnawaz Khan Chandan |date=8 May 2015 |title=Reminiscing Dhaka's Legacy |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/heritage/reminiscing-dhakas-legacy-80994 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030749/http://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/heritage/reminiscing-dhakas-legacy-80994 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=22 June 2017 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> Under a new act in 1993, an election was held in 1994 for the first elected Mayor of Dhaka.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 November 2010 |title=Mayor Hanif's death anniversary today |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=163943 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212231852/http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=163943 |archive-date=12 February 2015 |access-date=12 February 2015 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref> The Dhaka City Corporation ran the affairs of the city until November 2011.<ref name="sum">{{Cite news |date=12 November 2011 |title=Don't split Dhaka, Khoka urges govt |url=http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task-show/id-64245 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405174018/http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task-show/id-64245 |archive-date=5 April 2012 |access-date=12 September 2012 |work=UNBConnect}}</ref> ====Municipal government==== In 2011, [[Dhaka City Corporation]] was split into two separate corporations – [[Dhaka North City Corporation]] and [[Dhaka South City Corporation]] to ensure better civic facilities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hasan Jahid Tusher |date=18 October 2011 |title=Dhaka set to split into two |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206982 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213005705/http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206982 |archive-date=13 February 2015 |access-date=12 February 2015 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> These two corporations are headed by two mayors, who are elected by direct vote of the citizen for 5 years. The area within city corporations was divided into several wards, each having an elected commissioner. In total, the city has 130 wards and 725 ''[[mohalla]]s''. * [[Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha|RAJUK]] is responsible for coordinating [[Urban planning|urban development]] in the [[Greater Dhaka]] area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Islam |first=Md Asraful |title=Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Rajdhani_Unnayan_Kartripakkha |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507105228/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Rajdhani_Unnayan_Kartripakkha |archive-date=7 May 2016 |access-date=26 July 2015 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> * [[Dhaka Metropolitan Police|DMP]] is responsible for maintaining law and order within the metro area. It was established in 1976. DMP has 56 police stations as administrative units.<ref name="A">{{Cite web |title=History of the DMP |url=http://www.dmp.gov.bd/application/index/page/history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019123329/http://www.dmp.gov.bd/application/index/page/history |archive-date=19 October 2013 |access-date=18 October 2013 |publisher=[[Dhaka Metropolitan Police]]}}</ref><ref name="Z">{{Cite web |title=DMP – New Initiatives |url=http://www.dmp.gov.bd/static/new_initiative.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916060427/http://www.dmp.gov.bd/static/new_initiative.php |archive-date=16 September 2010 |access-date=30 September 2008 |publisher=Dhaka Metropolitan Police}}</ref> ===Administrative agencies=== Unlike other megacities worldwide, Dhaka is serviced by over two dozen government organizations under different ministries. Lack of coordination among them and centralization of all powers by the Government of Bangladesh keeps the development and maintenance of the city in a chaotic situation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 January 2016 |title=What should we do for better civic services |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/what-should-we-do-better-civic-services-205963 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630121655/http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/what-should-we-do-better-civic-services-205963 |archive-date=30 June 2016 |access-date=18 June 2016 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Agency!!Service!!Parent agency |- |[[Dhaka North City Corporation]]<br />[[Dhaka South City Corporation]] |[[Public service]] |[[Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives]]<br /> ∟ Local Government Division |- |[[Dhaka Metropolitan Police]] |[[Law enforcement]] |[[Ministry of Home Affairs (Bangladesh)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]<br /> ∟ [[Bangladesh Police]] |- |[[Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha|RAJUK]] |[[Urban planning]] |[[Ministry of Housing and Public Works]] |- |[[Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited]]<br />[[Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited]] |[[Power distribution]] |[[Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources]]<br /> ∟ Power Division |- |[[Water Supply and Sewerage Authority|Dhaka WASA]] |[[Water supply]] |[[Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives]]<br /> ∟ Local Government Division |- |[[Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority]] |[[Transport]] |[[Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges]]<br /> ∟Road Transport and Highways Division |} == Economy == {{See also|Economy of Dhaka}} [[File:Drone view from Kamal Ataturk Avenue.jpg|thumb|Office blocks on Kemal Atatürk Avenue]] As the most densely industrialized region of the country, the Greater Dhaka Area accounts for 35% of [[Economy of Bangladesh|Bangladesh's economy]].<ref name="Rezaul Karim">{{Cite news |last=Rezaul Karim |date=24 February 2017 |title=Dhaka's economic activities unplanned: analysts |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/business/dhakas-economic-activities-unplanned-analysts-1366252 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713203402/https://www.thedailystar.net/business/dhakas-economic-activities-unplanned-analysts-1366252 |archive-date=13 July 2019 |access-date=13 July 2019 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> The [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]] ranks Dhaka as a [[Global city|gamma+ global city]], in other words, one that is instrumental in linking their region into the world economy.<ref name=":8" /> Major industrial areas are [[Tejgaon Thana|Tejgaon]], [[Shyampur Thana|Shyampur]] and [[Hazaribagh Thana|Hazaribagh]].<ref>{{Cite web |year=2005 |title=Dhaka City State of Environment |url=http://www.rrcap.unep.org/reports/soe/dhaka-soe-05/3-4dhaka-noise.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207025410/http://www.rrcap.unep.org/reports/soe/dhaka-soe-05/3-4dhaka-noise.pdf |archive-date=7 February 2009 |access-date=24 January 2009 |publisher=Regional Resource centre for Asia and the Pacific, [[United Nations Environment Programme]]}}</ref> The city has a growing middle class, driving the market for modern consumer and luxury goods.<ref name="banglapedia" /><ref name="CiE" /> Shopping malls serve as vital elements in the city's economy. The city has historically attracted numerous migrant workers.<ref name="EDemo1">{{Cite web |last=McGee |first=Terry |date=27 September 2006 |title=Urbanization Takes on New Dimensions in Asia's Population Giants |url=http://www.prb.org/Articles/2001/UrbanizationTakesonNewDimensionsinAsiasPopulationGiants.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214234539/http://www.prb.org/Articles/2001/UrbanizationTakesonNewDimensionsinAsiasPopulationGiants.aspx |archive-date=14 February 2008 |access-date=27 September 2006 |publisher=Population Reference Bureau}}</ref> [[Hawker centre|Hawkers]], peddlers, small shops, [[Cycle rickshaw|rickshaw]] transport, roadside vendors and stalls employ a large segment of the population<ref name="EDemo1" /><ref name="Rick">{{Cite news |date=20 July 1998 |title=Does Dhaka need rickshaws? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/136074.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308190144/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/136074.stm |archive-date=8 March 2008 |access-date=27 September 2006 |work=BBC News}}</ref> – rickshaw drivers alone number as many as 400,000.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Robert Cervero |title=Informal Transport in the Developing World |publisher=UN-HABITAT |year=2000 |isbn=92-1-131453-4 |page=39}}</ref> Half the workforce is employed in household and unorganized labour, while about 800,000 work in the textile industry. The unemployment rate in Dhaka was 23% in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dhaka City Corporation |title=Dhaka City at a Glance |url=http://www.dhakacity.org/Page/Search_item_details/Search/Item_id/31/Item/employment/Dhaka_City_At_a_Glance |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115171206/http://www.dhakacity.org/Page/Search_item_details/Search/Item_id/31/Item/employment/Dhaka_City_At_a_Glance |archive-date=15 January 2013 |access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref> Almost all large local conglomerates have their corporate offices located in Dhaka. [[Microcredit]] also began here and the offices of the Nobel Prize-winning [[Grameen Bank]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 November 2007 |title=Poverty Alleviation: Yunus calls for major reforms in World Bank |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=10351 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305083011/http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=10351 |archive-date=5 March 2008 |access-date=17 December 2008 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> and [[BRAC (organization)|BRAC]] (the largest [[Non-governmental organisation|non-governmental development organization]] in the world) are based in Dhaka.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 December 2007 |title=Blind eye to urban poor to spell social disaster:Conference on the poor told |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/12/05/d61205011711.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723203409/http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/12/05/d61205011711.htm |archive-date=23 July 2008 |access-date=17 December 2008 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> Urban developments have sparked a widespread construction boom; new high-rise buildings and [[skyscraper]]s have changed the city's landscape.<ref name="CiE" /> Growth has been especially strong in the finance, banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, and service sectors, while tourism, hotels, and restaurants continue as important elements of the Dhaka economy.<ref name="EDemo1" /> Dhaka has rising traffic congestion and inadequate infrastructure; the national government has recently implemented a policy for rapid urbanization of surrounding areas and beyond by the introduction of a ten-year relief on [[income tax]] for new construction of facilities and buildings outside Dhaka.<ref name="townplan">{{Cite news |date=8 November 2008 |title=Town planning for Bangladesh: Vision 2020 |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=62337 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219005519/http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=62337 |archive-date=19 December 2013 |access-date=15 December 2008 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> ===CBDs=== The Dhaka metropolitan area boasts of several [[central business district]]s (CBDs). In the southern part of the city, the riverfront of [[Old Dhaka]] is home to many small businesses, factories, and trading companies. Near Old Dhaka lies [[Motijheel Thana|Motijheel]], which is the biggest CBD in Bangladesh. The Motijheel area developed in the 1960s. [[Motijheel Thana|Motijheel]] is home to the [[Bangladesh Bank]], the nation's central bank; as well as the headquarters of the largest state-owned banks, including [[Janata Bank]], [[Pubali Bank]], [[Sonali Bank]] and [[Rupali Bank]]. By the 1990s, the affluent residential neighbourhoods of [[Gulshan Thana|Gulshan]], [[Banani (town)|Banani]] and [[Uttara Thana|Uttara]] in the northern part of the city became a major business centre and now hosts many international companies operating in Bangladesh. The [[Purbachal New Town Project]] is planned as the city's future CBD. [[File:Bashundhara-Purbachal photowalk 2024 07.jpg|thumb|A picture of [[Purbachal Expressway]].]] The following is a list of the main CBDs in Dhaka. * [[Motijheel Thana|Motijheel]] * [[Kawran Bazar]] * [[Paltan]] * [[Dhanmondi]] * [[Gulshan Thana|Gulshan]] * [[Banani (town)|Banani]]/[[Banani DOHS|DOHS]] * [[Uttara Thana|Uttara]] * [[Mirpur Model Thana|Mirpur]]/[[Mirpur DOHS|DOHS]] * [[Bashundhara Residential Area]] * [[Panthapath]] * [[Maghbazar]] * [[Mohakhali]]/[[Mohakhali DOHS|DOHS]] * [[Gulistan, Dhaka|Gulistan]] * [[Jatrabari Thana|Jatrabari]] ===Industrial areas=== * [[Tejgaon Industrial Area Thana|Tejgaon I/A]] * [[Old Dhaka]] ===Trade associations=== Major trade associations based in the city include: * [[Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries]] (FBCCI) * [[Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry]] (DCCI) * [[Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka|Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry]] (MCCI) * [[Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association]] (BGMEA) * [[Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association]] (BKMEA) * [[Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh]] (NOAB) * [[Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh]] (REHAB) ===Stock market=== The [[Dhaka Stock Exchange]] (DSE) had a [[market capitalization]] of BDT 5,136,979.000 million in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh Dhaka Stock Exchange: Market Capitalization |url=https://www.ceicdata.com/en/bangladesh/dhaka-stock-exchange-market-capitalization |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303084751/https://www.ceicdata.com/en/bangladesh/dhaka-stock-exchange-market-capitalization |archive-date=3 March 2022 |access-date=3 March 2022 |website=CEIC Data}}</ref> Some of the largest companies listed on the DSE include:<ref>{{Cite web |title=DS30 Index |url=https://www.dsebd.org/dse30_share.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102131439/https://www.dsebd.org/dse30_share.php |archive-date=2 November 2021 |access-date=4 March 2022 |website=Dhaka Stock Exchange}}</ref> * [[Grameenphone]] * [[BEXIMCO]] * [[BSRM]] * [[Titas Gas]] * [[Summit Group]] * [[The City Bank]] * [[BRAC Bank]] * [[IDLC Finance Limited]] * [[Square Pharmaceuticals]] * [[Eastern Bank Ltd (Bangladesh)|Eastern Bank Limited]] * [[Orion Group (Bangladesh)|Orion Group]] == Demographics == {{See also|Demographics of Bangladesh}} {{Historical populations |align=right |footnote=for Dhaka Agglomeration:{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} |1951|335,760 |1961|507,921 |1971|1,373,718 |1981|3,265,663 |1991|6,620,697 |2001|10,284,947 |2011|14,730,537 |2022|22,478,116 }} === Population === The city, in combination with localities forming the wider metropolitan area, is home to over 22 million {{as of|2022|lc=on}}. The population is growing by an estimated 3.3% per year,{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} one of the highest rates among Asian cities.<ref name="EDemo1" /> The continuing growth reflects ongoing migration from rural areas to the Dhaka urban region, which accounted for 60% of the city's growth in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, the city's population has also grown with the expansion of city boundaries, a process that added more than a million people to the city in the 1980s.<ref name="EDemo1" /> According to the ''[[Far Eastern Economic Review]]'', Dhaka will be home to 25 million people by the end of 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pepe Escobar |author-link=Pepe Escobar |date=20 May 2006 |title=The accumulation of the wretched |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HE20Aa01.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031210457/http://atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HE20Aa01.html |archive-date=31 October 2010 |access-date=8 May 2010 |work=[[Asia Times]] |type=Book review}}</ref> This rapid population growth makes it difficult for the city government to provide the necessary infrastructure in a timely manner, e.g. for water supply, electricity and waste management.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Brouwer |first1=Roy |last2=Sharmin |first2=Dilruba F. |last3=Elliott |first3=Susan |last4=Liu |first4=Jennifer |last5=Khan |first5=Mizan R. |date=2023 |title=Costs and benefits of improving water and sanitation in slums and non-slum neighborhoods in Dhaka, a fast-growing mega-city |journal=Ecological Economics |language=en |volume=207 |pages=107763 |bibcode=2023EcoEc.20707763B |doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107763 |doi-access=free}}</ref> ==== Slums ==== {{See also|Squatting in Bangladesh}} [[File:Karail03.jpg|thumb|The Karail slum in [[Mohakhali]]]] About 30% of Dhaka's population lives in [[slum]]s (or unplanned urban settlements), as of 2016.<ref name=":1" /> Estimates from 2011 and 2015 found that there are about "3 to 5 thousand slums and squatter settlements scattered all over the city".<ref name=":1" /> It is often the new arrivals, people [[Rural-urban migration|migrating from rural areas]], who end up living in slums. People only have very limited access to water, [[sanitation]] and other services in those slum areas. Slums may be found in the outskirts and in less-visible areas such as alleyways.<ref name="Gruebner Sachs Nockert Frings pp. 1–7">{{Cite journal |last1=Gruebner |first1=Oliver |last2=Sachs |first2=Jonathan |last3=Nockert |first3=Anika |last4=Frings |first4=Michael |last5=Khan |first5=Md. Mobarak Hossain |last6=Lakes |first6=Tobia |last7=Hostert |first7=Patrick |date=25 June 2014 |title=Mapping the Slums of Dhaka from 2006 to 2010 |journal=Dataset Papers in Science |publisher=Hindawi Limited |volume=2014 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1155/2014/172182 |issn=2314-8497 |doi-access=free}}</ref> As of 2021, the largest slum is in [[Kamrangirchar Thana|Kamrangirchar]], where about 600,000 people live in slum conditions.<ref name=":2" /> ===Ethnicity=== The city population is composed of people from virtually every region of Bangladesh. The long-standing inhabitants of the old city are known as Dhakaite and have a distinctive Bengali dialect and culture. Dhaka is also home to a large number of [[Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh|Bihari refugees]], who are descendants of migrant [[Muslims]] from eastern India during 1947 and settled down in East Pakistan. The correct population of [[Biharis]] living in the city is ambiguous, but it is estimated that there are at least 300,000 Urdu-speakers in all of Bangladesh, mostly residing in old Dhaka and in refugee camps in Dhaka, although official figures estimate only 40,000.<ref name="fe">{{Cite news |title=Govt ready to offer nationality to Urdu-speaking people: Moni |url=http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=110539 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104171314/http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=110539 |archive-date=4 November 2011 |access-date=12 April 2011 |work=The Financial Express |location=Dhaka}}</ref><ref name="dw">{{Cite web |title=Socio-economic Problems of the Urdu Speaking Residents at Mohammadpur |url=http://www.dwatch-bd.org/ggtp/Research%20Reports/research3.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612081936/http://www.dwatch-bd.org/ggtp/Research%20Reports/research3.pdf |archive-date=12 June 2011 |access-date=12 April 2011 |publisher=Democracy Watch}}</ref><ref name="ju">{{Cite web |last=Tasmia Persoob |title=The Forgotten Community: Camp Based Urdu Speaking People in Bangladesh |url=http://akira-foundation.org/Documents/fellow%20product%20%28Tasmia%29.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322152732/http://akira-foundation.org/Documents/fellow%20product%20%28Tasmia%29.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2012 |access-date=12 April 2011 |publisher=Jahangirnagar University}}</ref> Between 15,000 and 20,000 of the [[Rohingya people|Rohingya]], [[Santals|Santal]], [[Khasi people|Khasi]], [[Garo (tribe)|Garo]], [[Chakma people|Chakma]] and [[Mandi State|Mandi]] tribal peoples reside in the city.<ref>{{Cite news |title=::Our Cities::15th Anniversary Special |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities06.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302043551/http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities06.htm |archive-date=2 March 2007 |access-date=8 May 2010 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> ===Language=== {{Pie chart |caption=Language in Dhaka (2011) |label1=[[Bengali language|Bengali]] |value1=98 |color1=Blue |label2=[[Urdu]]|value2=1 |color2=Green |label3=Others|value3=1 |color3=Orange}} Most residents of Dhaka speak [[Bengali language|Bengali]], the national language. Other than Standard Bengali which is used in business and education, most prominent [[Bengali dialects]] spoken in the city include an ''Urban East Bengal Colloquial'' dialect,<ref>Khaleda Beena (2000). ''Modern Textbook in Bengali as Foreign Language.'' Bengaliska Magasinet ; Dhaka : Rabeya Publishers ; Göteborg : Internationella Kojan. p. 105.</ref> and [[Dhakaiya Kutti]] spoken in Old Dhaka.<ref>[https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/sa8i3en9g9 Once a hallmark of heritage, Old Dhaka's distinct dialects are slowly fading away] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109133649/https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/sa8i3en9g9 |date=9 November 2024 }} bdnews24.com. 21 Feb 2024. Retrieved on 9 November 2024.</ref> [[Bangladeshi English|English]] is spoken by a large segment of the population, especially for business purposes. The city has both Bengali and English newspapers. [[Urdu]], including [[Dhakaiya Urdu]], is spoken by members of several non-Bengali communities, including the [[Bihari people|Biharis]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sanghamitra Saha |title=A Linguist Visits Bangladesh: A Travelogue |publisher=International School of Dravidian Linguistics |year=2001 |isbn=978-81-85692-30-2 |page=8}}</ref> ===Literacy=== The literacy rate in Dhaka is also increasing quickly. It was estimated at 69.2% in 2001. The literacy rate had gone up to 74.6% by 2011<ref name="District Statistics 2011, Dhaka" /> which is significantly higher than the national average of 72%.<ref name="bangladesh1">{{Cite web |title=Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh 2012, Page 35 |url=http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/SubjectMatterDataIndex/YB-2012.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807103320/http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/SubjectMatterDataIndex/YB-2012.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2015 |access-date=14 May 2015 |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> ===Religion=== {{bar box |title = Religion in Dhaka City (2011)<ref name="census2011" /> |titlebar=#Fcd116 |left1=Religion |right1=Percent |float = right |bars = {{bar percent|[[Islam in Bangladesh|Islam]]|green|95.72}} {{bar percent|[[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Hinduism]]|darkorange|3.60}} {{bar percent|[[Christianity in Bangladesh|Christianity]]|blue|0.55}} {{bar percent|Other or not stated|gray|0.13}} }} [[Islam in Bangladesh|Islam]] is the dominant religion of the city, with 19.3 million of the city's population being Muslim, and a majority belonging to the [[Sunni]] sect. There is also a small [[Shia]] sect, and an [[Ahmadi]]ya community. [[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Hinduism]] is the second-largest religion numbering around 1.47 million adherents. Smaller segments represent 1% and practise [[Christianity in Bangladesh|Christianity]] and [[Buddhism in Bangladesh|Buddhism]]. In the city proper, over 8.5 million of the 8.9 million residents are Muslims, while 320,000 are Hindu and nearly 50,000 Christian.<ref name="Dhaka - Banglapedia">{{Cite web |title=Dhaka |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Dhaka |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200253/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Dhaka |archive-date=24 June 2021 |access-date=17 June 2021 |website=Banglapedia}}</ref><ref name="census2011">{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Population Census 2011: Dhaka Table C-13 |url=http://www.bbs.gov.bd/Census2011/Dhaka/Dhaka/Dhaka_C13.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20141113213203/http://www.bbs.gov.bd/Census2011/Dhaka/Dhaka/Dhaka_C13.pdf |archive-date=13 November 2014 |access-date=11 July 2014 |website=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> <div style="overflow-x:auto; border: 1px solid #AAA; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em"> {| class="wikitable collapsible sortable" |+ Religious groups in Dhaka City (1872−2011){{efn|1872–1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Dhaka, which included Dhaka Municipality.|name="DhakaCity1872to1941"}} ! rowspan="2" |[[Religion in India|Religious]]<br />group ! colspan="2" |1872<ref name="Census1872">{{Cite book |last=Beverley |first=H. |title=Report of the census of Bengal, 1872 |year=1872 |page=333 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057646 |jstor-access=free}}</ref> ! colspan="2" |1881<ref name="Census1881">{{Cite web |year=1881 |title=Report on the census of Bengal, 1881. |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057660 |access-date=29 September 2024 |page=608 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057660 |last1=(India) |first1=Bengal |volume=2 |publisher=Calcutta, 1883. |archive-date=18 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718031701/https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057660 |url-status=live }}</ref> ! colspan="2" |1891<ref name="Census1891">{{Cite book |last=Baines |first=Jervoise Athelstane |title=Census of India, 1891. General tables for British provinces and feudatory states. |year=1891 |volume=1 |page=68 |jstor=saoa.crl.25318666 |jstor-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Census1891B">{{Cite web |year=1891 |title=Census of India 1891. The lower provinces of Bengal and their feudatories. [4], The Administrative Tables. |volume=4 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25318680 |access-date=29 September 2024 |page=25 |jstor=saoa.crl.25318680}}</ref> ! colspan="2" |1901<ref name="Census1901">{{Cite book |title=Census of India 1901. |year=1901 |volume=1A, India. Pt. 2, Tables |page=44 |jstor=saoa.crl.25352838 |jstor-access=free}}</ref> ! colspan="2" |1911<ref name="Census1911">{{Cite book |last=Edward Albert Gait |title=Census of India, 1911. |publisher=Supt. Govt. Print., India, 1913 |year=1911 |volume=1., Pt. 2, Tables |location=Calcutta |page=23 |jstor=saoa.crl.25393779 |jstor-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Census1911B">{{Cite book |title=Census of India 1911 |year=1911 |volume=5. Pt. 2, Bengal : tables |page=18 |jstor=saoa.crl.25393766 |jstor-access=free}}</ref> ! colspan="2" |1921<ref name="Census1921">{{Cite book |title=Census of India 1921 |year=1921 |volume=1, India. Pt. 2, Tables |page=25 |jstor=saoa.crl.25394121 |jstor-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Census1921B">{{Cite book |title=Census of India 1921 |year=1921 |volume=5, Bengal. Pt. 2, Tables |page=18 |jstor=saoa.crl.25394125 |jstor-access=free}}</ref> ! colspan="2" |1931<ref name="Census1931">{{Cite book |title=Census of India 1931 |year=1931 |volume=1, India. Pt. 2, Imperial tables |jstor=saoa.crl.25793234 |jstor-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Census1931B">{{Cite book |title=Census of India 1931 |year=1931 |volume=5, Bengal & Sikkim. Pt. 2, Imperial and provincial tables |page=16 |jstor=saoa.crl.25797126 |jstor-access=free}}</ref> ! colspan="2" |1941<ref name="Census1941">{{Cite book |title=Census of India, 1941 |year=1941 |volume=4, Bengal (Tables) |page=26 |jstor=saoa.crl.28215987 |jstor-access=free}}</ref> ! colspan="2" |2011<ref name="census2011" /> |- ![[Population|{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}]] !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} !{{abbr|Pop.|Population}} !{{Abbr|%|percentage}} |- | [[Hinduism]] [[File:Om.svg|15px]] | 34,433 | {{Percentage | 34433 | 69212 | 2 }} | 39,635 | {{Percentage | 39635 | 79076 | 2 }} | 41,566 | {{Percentage | 41566 | 82321 | 2 }} | 48,668 | {{Percentage | 48668 | 90542 | 2 }} | 60,235 | {{Percentage | 60235 | 108551 | 2 }} | 69,330 | {{Percentage | 69330 | 119450 | 2 }} | 80,024 | {{Percentage | 80024 | 138518 | 2 }} | 129,233 | {{Percentage | 129233 | 213218 | 2 }} | 566,368 | {{Percentage | 566368 | 12043977 | 2 }} |- | [[Islam]] [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]] | 34,275 | {{Percentage | 34275 | 69212 | 2 }} | 38,918 | {{Percentage | 38918 | 79076 | 2 }} | 40,183 | {{Percentage | 40183 | 82321 | 2 }} | 41,361 | {{Percentage | 41361 | 90542 | 2 }} | 47,295 | {{Percentage | 47295 | 108551 | 2 }} | 49,325 | {{Percentage | 49325 | 119450 | 2 }} | 57,764 | {{Percentage | 57764 | 138518 | 2 }} | 82,683 | {{Percentage | 82683 | 213218 | 2 }} | 11,400,096 | {{Percentage | 11400096 | 12043977 | 2 }} |- | [[Christianity]] [[File:Christian cross.svg|15px]] | 479 | {{Percentage | 479 | 69212 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 467 | {{Percentage | 467 | 82321 | 2 }} | 484 | {{Percentage | 484 | 90542 | 2 }} | 898 | {{Percentage | 898 | 108551 | 2 }} | 710 | {{Percentage | 710 | 119450 | 2 }} | 683 | {{Percentage | 683 | 138518 | 2 }} | 349 | {{Percentage | 349 | 213218 | 2 }} | 62,064 | {{Percentage | 62064 | 12043977 | 2 }} |- | [[Buddhism]] [[File:Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg|15px]] | 4 | {{Percentage | 4 | 69212 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 76 | {{Percentage | 76 | 82321 | 2 }} | 28 | {{Percentage | 28 | 90542 | 2 }} | 85 | {{Percentage | 85 | 108551 | 2 }} | 12 | {{Percentage | 12 | 119450 | 2 }} | 26 | {{Percentage | 26 | 138518 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 13,267 | {{Percentage | 13267 | 12043977 | 2 }} |- | [[Jainism]] [[File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg|15px]] | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 13 | {{Percentage | 13 | 82321 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 90542 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 108551 | 2 }} | 5 | {{Percentage | 5 | 119450 | 2 }} | 5 | {{Percentage | 5 | 138518 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 213218 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} |- | Tribal | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 9 | {{Percentage | 9 | 82321 | 2 }} | 1 | {{Percentage | 1 | 90542 | 2 }} | 13 | {{Percentage | 13 | 108551 | 2 }} | 1 | {{Percentage | 1 | 119450 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 138518 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} |- | [[Sikhism]] [[File:Khanda.svg|15px]] | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 1 | {{Percentage | 1 | 82321 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 90542 | 2 }} | 16 | {{Percentage | 16 | 108551 | 2 }} | 67 | {{Percentage | 67 | 119450 | 2 }} | 16 | {{Percentage | 16 | 138518 | 2 }} | 53 | {{Percentage | 53 | 213218 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} |- | [[Judaism]] [[File:Star_of_David.svg|15px]] | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 1 | {{Percentage | 1 | 82321 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 90542 | 2 }} | 8 | {{Percentage | 8 | 108551 | 2 }} | 4 | {{Percentage | 4 | 119450 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 138518 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} |- | [[Zoroastrianism]] [[File:Faravahar.svg|15px]] | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 82321 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 90542 | 2 }} | 1 | {{Percentage | 1 | 108551 | 2 }} | 6 | {{Percentage | 6 | 119450 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 138518 | 2 }} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} |- | Others | 21 | {{Percentage | 21 | 69212 | 2 }} | 528 | {{Percentage | 528 | 79076 | 2 }} | 5 | {{Percentage | 5 | 82321 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 90542 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 108551 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 119450 | 2 }} | 0 | {{Percentage | 0 | 138518 | 2 }} | 890 | {{Percentage | 890 | 213218 | 2 }} | 2,182 | {{Percentage | 2182 | 12043977 | 2 }} |- ! Total population ! 69,212 ! {{Percentage | 69212 | 69212 | 2 }} ! 79,076 ! {{Percentage | 79076 | 79076 | 2 }} ! 82,321 ! {{Percentage | 82321 | 82321 | 2 }} ! 90,542 ! {{Percentage | 90542 | 90542 | 2 }} ! 108,551 ! {{Percentage | 108551 | 108551 | 2 }} ! 119,450 ! {{Percentage | 119450 | 119450 | 2 }} ! 138,518 ! {{Percentage | 138518 | 138518 | 2 }} ! 213,218 ! {{Percentage | 213218 | 213218 | 2 }} ! 12,043,977 ! {{Percentage | 12043977 | 12043977 | 2 }} |} </div> == Infrastructure == === Transport === {{main|Transport in Dhaka}} Motorcycles comprised half of Dhaka's registered vehicles in 2023,<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Talukder |first=Riyadh |date=26 August 2023 |title=Motorcycles account for half of Dhaka's registered vehicles |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/323588/motorcycles-account-for-half-of-dhaka-s-registered |access-date=27 May 2024 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]] |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527002452/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/323588/motorcycles-account-for-half-of-dhaka-s-registered |url-status=live }}</ref> while car ownership rate is only six per cent.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=27 September 2020 |title=Experts: Too many private cars to fix traffic in Dhaka |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/224625/experts-too-many-private-cars-to-fix-traffic-in |access-date=27 May 2024 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]] |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526193041/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/224625/experts-too-many-private-cars-to-fix-traffic-in |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the world's least motorized cities,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zami |first=Md Tahmid |date=2023-02-17 |title=Congested Dhaka navigates cleaner transport and jobs with first metro rail |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/17/asia-pacific/dhaka-metro-clean-transport/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Japan Times |language=en |archive-date=16 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616134032/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/17/asia-pacific/dhaka-metro-clean-transport/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the three-wheeled [[cycle rickshaw]] is the most popular and ubiquitous mode of transport, which accounted for 54 per cent of vehicle trips in 2011.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hossain |first1=Maruf |last2=Susilo |first2=Yusak O. |date=2011 |title=Rickshaw Use and Social Impacts in Dhaka, Bangladesh |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3141/2239-09 |journal=Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board |language=en |volume=2239 |issue=1 |pages=74–83 |doi=10.3141/2239-09 |issn=0361-1981 |archive-date=24 May 2024 |access-date=16 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524140757/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3141/2239-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dhaka is among the most congested cities in the world, and traffic was estimated to cost the local economy {{USD|6.5}}{{nbsp}}billion per year in 2020.<ref name="liaquat2022">{{Cite news |last=Liaquat |first=Zisan Bin |date=16 March 2022 |title=The economic cost of Dhaka's insane traffic |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/265726/the-economic-cost-of-dhaka%E2%80%99s-insane-traffic |access-date=24 May 2024 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]] |archive-date=24 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524140755/https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/265726/the-economic-cost-of-dhaka%E2%80%99s-insane-traffic |url-status=live }}</ref> The average speed of a car travelling in the city is less than {{convert|7|km/h|mph}}.<ref name="bird2018">{{Cite book |last1=Bird |first1=Julia |url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/29925 |title=Toward Great Dhaka: A New Urban Development Paradigm Eastward |last2=Li |first2=Yue |last3=Rahman |first3=Hossain Zillur |last4=Rama |first4=Martin |last5=Venables |first5=Anthony J. |date=2018-07-03 |publisher=Washington, DC: World Bank |isbn=978-1-4648-1238-5 |language=en |doi=10.1596/978-1-4648-1238-5 |hdl=10986/29925 |archive-date=30 May 2023 |access-date=16 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530214815/https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/29925 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Auto rickshaw]]s powered by [[compressed natural gas]], often referred to by locals as "CNGs", are also a popular mode of transport.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=Rahman |first=Samsur |date=2024-01-29 |title=Use of metres in auto-rickshaw fading from public mind |url=https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/city/ak08ei9ita |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Prothom Alo |language=en |archive-date=16 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616210404/https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/city/ak08ei9ita |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Road ==== {{Multiple image | perrow = 2 | total_width = 350 | image1 = Rickshaws Dhaka.jpg | image2 = Kazi Nazrul Islam Ave Road, Dhaka. .jpg | image3 = Trust taxi Toyota Axio, Bangladesh. (31932338632).jpg | image4 = Mirpur-banani flyover.JPG | footer = Clockwise from top-left: heavy rickshaw traffic in Dhaka, congested main road, Mirpur-Banani flyover and Dhaka yellow taxi. }} The city is connected to other parts of the country through highway and railway links. Five of Bangladesh's eight major [[List of roads in Bangladesh#Roads and highways|national highways]] start from the city: [[N1 (Bangladesh)|N1]], [[N2 (Bangladesh)|N2]], [[N3 (Bangladesh)|N3]], [[N5 (Bangladesh)|N5]] and [[N8 (Bangladesh)|N8]]. Dhaka is also directly connected to the two longest routes of the [[Asian Highway Network]]: [[AH1]] and [[AH2]], as well as to the [[AH41]] route. Highway links to the Indian cities of [[Kolkata]], [[Agartala]], [[Guwahati]] and [[Shillong]] have been established by the BRTC and private bus companies, which also run regular international bus services to those cities from Dhaka.<ref name="BRTC">{{Cite news |last=Lawson |first=Alastair |date=13 October 2003 |title=Passengers shun Dhaka-India bus |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3162854.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308190204/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3162854.stm |archive-date=8 March 2008 |access-date=7 September 2006 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Details of Bus Services |url=https://www.hcidhaka.gov.in/pages.php?id=1244 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202043359/https://www.hcidhaka.gov.in/pages.php?id=1244 |archive-date=2 February 2017 |publisher=hcidhaka.gov.in}}</ref> The [[Dhaka Elevated Expressway]], the first of its kind in the country, improves connectivity between the northern part of the city and the central, southern, and south-eastern parts.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |date=2023-09-02 |title=PM opens country's first elevated expressway |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/pm-opens-countrys-first-elevated-expressway-3409266 |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=23 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723175646/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/pm-opens-countrys-first-elevated-expressway-3409266 |url-status=live }}</ref> An extension, the [[Dhaka–Ashulia Elevated Expressway]], is expected to open in 2026.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 September 2021 |title=Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway to come into operation in 2026 |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/dhaka-ashulia-elevated-expressway-come-operation-2026-2183716 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125090527/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/dhaka-ashulia-elevated-expressway-come-operation-2026-2183716 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |access-date=25 January 2022 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> {{Update after|2026|06}} ==== Rickshaws ==== [[Cycle rickshaw]]s and CNG [[Auto rickshaw#Bangladesh|auto-rickshaws]] are the main modes of transport within the metro area, with more than 1.5 million rickshaws running each day:<ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Abbas |first=Md |date=2024-05-17 |title=Illegal rickshaws rule Dhaka streets |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/illegal-rickshaws-rule-dhaka-streets-3611731 |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=20 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620124815/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/illegal-rickshaws-rule-dhaka-streets-3611731 |url-status=live }}</ref> the highest number in any city in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Molla |first=Mohammad Al-Masum |date=2019-07-07 |title=Ban on rickshaw: How logical is it? |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/politics/news/ban-rickshaw-how-logical-it-1767535 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=7 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207075113/https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/politics/news/ban-rickshaw-how-logical-it-1767535 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, only around 220 thousand rickshaws are licensed by the city government.<ref name=":23" /> Over 15,000 legally registered CNGs serve passengers in Dhaka, with thousands more operating illegally.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 May 2024 |title=Auto-rickshaws run in city despite ban |url=https://www.dailypost.net/todays-newspaper/auto-rickshaws-run-in-city-despite-ban/8722 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=The Daily Post |language=en |archive-date=31 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531073749/https://www.dailypost.net/todays-newspaper/auto-rickshaws-run-in-city-despite-ban/8722 |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Ride sharing ==== Since 2016, [[Uber]] and [[Pathao]] have dominated the ride-sharing market in Dhaka, which offer both car and motorcycle services.<ref name="f452">{{Cite web |last=Haque |first=Ramisa |date=17 April 2018 |title=Bike-sharing services in Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/spotlight/bike-sharing-services-dhaka-1563373 |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=The Daily Star |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529100433/https://www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/spotlight/bike-sharing-services-dhaka-1563373 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Husain |first=Ishtiaq |date=22 November 2016 |title=Uber launches operations in Dhaka |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-others/10312/uber-launches-operations-in-dhaka |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]]}}</ref> Ride-sharing services have led to a decline in the use of CNG auto-rickshaws,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rahman |first=Wafiur |date=24 August 2021 |title=The auto-rickshaw market is shrinking as ride-sharing apps become more popular |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/256267/the-auto-rickshaw-market-is-shrinking-as |access-date=28 May 2024 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]] |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528151503/https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/256267/the-auto-rickshaw-market-is-shrinking-as |url-status=live }}</ref> although Uber has expanded its services to include CNG auto-rickshaws in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-07 |title=Uber now includes CNG auto-rickshaws in Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/toggle/news/uber-brings-cng-auto-rickshaws-dhaka-2106561 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528151502/https://www.thedailystar.net/toggle/news/uber-brings-cng-auto-rickshaws-dhaka-2106561 |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Bus ==== Buses carried about 1.9 million passengers per day in 2007.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jinat Jahan & Syeda Bushra Binte Amin |date=2013 |title=An Approach to Estimate Demand and Supply of Bus Service, in Particular, Road Section of Dhaka |url=https://www.bip.org.bd/admin/uploads/bip-publication/publication-11/paper/20141016160305.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners |volume=6 |pages=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311030819/https://www.bip.org.bd/admin/uploads/bip-publication/publication-11/paper/20141016160305.pdf |archive-date=11 March 2023 |access-date=16 January 2023}}</ref> Public buses in Dhaka are primarily operated by numerous private companies, with a minority run by the state-owned [[Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]] (BRTC).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Campos |first1=Jose Edgardo |url=https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/pt/797631467998806501/pdf/693780BRI0P1080Bus0Operations0final.pdf |title=Operationalizing Political Economy: Urban Bus Operations in Dhaka |last2=Akbar |first2=Sameer |publisher=[[World Bank]] |year=2008 |series=South Asia Political Economy and Governance Issues Note No. 1 |location=Washington, DC |access-date=23 May 2024 |archive-date=16 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716162252/https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/pt/797631467998806501/pdf/693780BRI0P1080Bus0Operations0final.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation|BRTC]] buses are red, based initially on the [[AEC Routemaster|Routemaster]] buses of London. There are three inter-district bus terminals in Dhaka, which are located in the city's [[Mohakhali]], Saidabad, and Gabtoli areas. It is now planned to move three inter-district bus terminals outside the town.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 September 2021 |title=Inter-district bus terminals to be moved outside Dhaka |url=https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2021/09/19/inter-district-bus-terminals-to-be-moved-outside-dhaka |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125090528/https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2021/09/19/inter-district-bus-terminals-to-be-moved-outside-dhaka |archive-date=25 January 2022 |access-date=25 January 2022 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref> Highway links to the Indian cities of [[Kolkata]], [[Agartala]], [[Guwahati]] and [[Shillong]] have been established by the BRTC and private bus companies, which also run regular international bus services to those cities from Dhaka.<ref name="BRTC" /> Set to open in December 2024,{{Update after|2025}} the {{Convert|20.5|km|adj=on}} [[Dhaka BRT|Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit]] system is expected to reduce travel time from Dhaka to the [[satellite town]] of [[Gazipur]] from as long as four hours to just 35–40 minutes.<ref name="t839">{{Cite web |last=Adhikary |first=Tuhin Shubhra |date=16 October 2023 |title=BRT-3 not this year |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/brt-3-not-year-3444626 |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=The Daily Star |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520170618/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/brt-3-not-year-3444626 |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Waterways ==== [[File:বুড়িগঙ্গা ৩.jpg|thumb|Some boats and launches on the river Buriganga.]] The [[Dhaka Sadarghat|Sadarghat River Port]] on the banks of the [[Buriganga River]] serves for the transport of goods and passengers upriver and to other ports in Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. |title=Asian Highway Handbook |publisher=United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Publications |year=2005 |isbn=92-1-120170-5 |page=28 |chapter=Dhaka}}</ref> Inter-city and inter-district motor vessels and passenger ferry services are used by many people to travel riverine regions of the country from the city. [[Water taxi|Water bus]] services are available on the Buriganga River and [[Hatirjheel Thana|Hatirjheel]] and Gulshan lakes, providing connectivity via two routes, [[Tejgaon Thana|Tejgaon]]–[[Gulshan Thana|Gulshan]] and Tejgaon–[[Rampura Thana|Rampura]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 December 2016 |title=Water taxi services on Dhaka's Hatirjheel 'from Victory Day' |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/12/06/water-taxi-services-on-dhakas-hatirjheel-from-victory-day |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402081705/http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/12/06/water-taxi-services-on-dhakas-hatirjheel-from-victory-day |archive-date=2 April 2017 |access-date=1 April 2017 |work=bdnews24.com}}</ref> ==== Rail ==== {{Further|Dhaka Metro Rail|Dhaka Circular Railway}} {{Multiple image | perrow = 2 | total_width = | image1 = Bangladesh Railway, Komlapur Railway Station.jpg | image2 = Agargaon metro station Platform 10.jpg | image3 = 18Metro at Agargaon metro station Platform.jpg | image4 = Interior of Uttara North 09.jpg | footer = Clockwise from top-left: [[Diesel multiple unit|DEMU Train]] at [[Kamalapur railway station|Kamalapur Railway Station]], [[Dhaka Metro Rail|Metro Rail station]] sign in [[Agargaon]], [[Dhaka Metro Rail|Metro train]] interior and exterior. }} [[Kamalapur railway station]], situated on the northeast side of [[Motijheel]], is the largest and busiest of the city's railway stations.<ref name="Morshed">{{Cite news |last=Adnan Zillur Morshed |date=24 July 2017 |title=A quiet masterpiece that serves as Dhaka's gateway |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/perspective/quiet-masterpiece-serves-dhakas-gateway-1437574 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107103550/https://www.thedailystar.net/perspective/quiet-masterpiece-serves-dhakas-gateway-1437574 |archive-date=7 November 2022 |access-date=24 May 2021 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref> It was designed by American architect [[Robert Boughey]] and was completed in 1969.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Habib |first1=Kishwar |title=Asian Cities: Colonial to Global |last2=De Meulder |first2=Bruno |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-90-485-2824-0 |editor-last=Bracken |editor-first=Gregory |page=230 |chapter=Rallying Towards the Nation Theatre of Nation Building in Post-colonial Dhaka |jstor=j.ctt16d69sf.14}}</ref> The state-owned [[Bangladesh Railway]] provides suburban and national services, with regular express train services connecting Dhaka with other major urban areas, such as [[Chittagong]], [[Rajshahi]], [[Khulna]], [[Sylhet]] and [[Rangpur City|Rangpur]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marika McAdam |title=Bangladesh |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2004 |isbn=1-74059-280-8 |page=66}}</ref> The [[Maitree Express]] and the [[Mitali Express]] provides connections from Dhaka to [[West Bengal]] in India.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary |date=4 September 2019 |title=Maitree to run 6 days a week |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/maitree-express-run-dhaka-to-kolkata-6-days-week-1795198 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525115111/https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/maitree-express-run-dhaka-to-kolkata-6-days-week-1795198 |archive-date=25 May 2021 |access-date=24 May 2021 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref><ref name=":26">{{Cite web |date=1 June 2022 |title=Dhaka-Jalpaiguri 'Mitali Express' train starts operation |url=https://www.jagonews24.com/en/national/news/62084 |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=[[Jagonews24.com]] |language=en-US |archive-date=31 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531223208/https://www.jagonews24.com/en/national/news/62084 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dhaka Metro Rail is a [[Rapid transit|mass rapid transit]] system serving Dhaka, [[Bangladesh]]. It is a part of the 20-year-long Strategic Transport Plan (STP) outlined by the [[Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority|Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA)]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About MRT Line-6 |url=http://www.dmtc.org.bd/about/about-mrt-line-6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202061003/http://www.dmtc.org.bd/about/about-mrt-line-6 |archive-date=2 February 2017 |access-date=28 January 2017 |website=DHAKA MASS TRANSIT COMPANY LTD.}}</ref> The first phase of Dhaka Metro's [[MRT Line 6]] was inaugurated by [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh|Prime Minister]] [[Sheikh Hasina]] and commenced commercial operations on 28 December 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 December 2022 |title=PM Hasina becomes first passenger to travel on Metro Rail with ticket |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/pm-hasina-becomes-first-passenger-travel-metro-rail-ticket-559082 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228140224/https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/pm-hasina-becomes-first-passenger-travel-metro-rail-ticket-559082 |archive-date=28 December 2022 |access-date=31 December 2022 |work=The Business Standard}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Passengers gather at Dhaka metro stations at first light |url=https://bdnews24.com/metro-rail/o2sjvoesf1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229022955/https://bdnews24.com/metro-rail/o2sjvoesf1 |archive-date=29 December 2022 |access-date=2022-12-29 |work=bdnews24.com |language=en}}</ref> The metro network is planned to contain six lines. Before the opening of the Dhaka Metro Rail, Dhaka was the biggest city in the world without a mass rapid transit system.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 January 2023 |title=Bangladesh's first metro line opens |url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/metros/bangladeshs-first-metro-line-opens/63268.article |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=Railway Gazette International |language=en}}</ref> Unrelated to the metro, there is also a proposal to build a [[Dhaka Subway|subway]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saifuddin |first=Saif |date=2022-01-16 |title=Dhaka Subway: Traffic woes to be eased further by 2030 |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/infrastructure/dhaka-subway-traffic-woes-be-eased-further-2030-358018 |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Business Standard |language=en |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125013228/https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/infrastructure/dhaka-subway-traffic-woes-be-eased-further-2030-358018 |url-status=live }}</ref> and an [[Dhaka Circular Railway|orbital railway system]].<ref name="a604">{{Cite web |last=Adhikary |first=Tuhin Shubhra |date=17 January 2021 |title=Dhaka Circular Rail: Belated but bold |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/dhaka-circular-rail-belated-bold-2028905 |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=The Daily Star}}</ref> ==== Air ==== {{See also|Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport}} [[File:Biman Bangladesh Airlines - S2-AJV - The Gaangchil - Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - 40125 - HSIA.jpg|thumb|Biman Bangladesh in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport]] [[Shahjalal International Airport|Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport]] (formerly Zia International Airport),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief History Of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport |url=http://caab.gov.bd/airports/shahjalal.html#:~:text=Dhaka%20international%20airport%20was%20renamed,the%20capital%20city%20of%20Bangladesh. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207091632/http://caab.gov.bd/airports/shahjalal.html#:~:text=Dhaka%20international%20airport%20was%20renamed,the%20capital%20city%20of%20Bangladesh. |archive-date=7 February 2023 |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=caab.gov.bd}}</ref> located {{Convert|15|km}} north of Dhaka city centre, is the largest and busiest international airport in the country.<ref name="Air">{{Cite book |last=Alam |first=Jobair Bin |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-984-32-0576-6 |editor-last=Islam |editor-first=Sirajul |editor-link=Sirajul Islam |edition=Second |chapter=Air Transport |access-date=17 January 2008 |editor-last2=Jamal |editor-first2=Ahmed A. |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Air_Transport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701035850/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Air_Transport |archive-date=1 July 2015}}</ref> Although built with an annual passenger-handling capacity of 8 million,<ref name="capacity">{{Cite news |last=Byron |first=Rejaul Karim |date=28 August 2010 |title=New int'l airport to cost Tk 50,000cr |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=152589 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031082713/http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=152589 |archive-date=31 October 2010 |access-date=16 November 2011 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> it handled more than 11 million passengers in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-17 |title=Record 17m air passengers last year propel Dhaka airport to Tk2,400cr revenue |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/aviation/record-17m-air-passengers-last-year-propel-dhaka-airport-tk2400cr-revenue-794054 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=The Business Standard |language=en |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528163703/https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/aviation/record-17m-air-passengers-last-year-propel-dhaka-airport-tk2400cr-revenue-794054 |url-status=live }}</ref> The average aircraft movement per day is around 330 flights.<ref name=":132">{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Kamran |date=2023-05-29 |title=More foreign airlines keen to connect Bangladesh |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/aviation/more-foreign-airlines-keen-connect-bangladesh-639986 |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=[[The Business Standard]] |language=en |archive-date=11 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611115249/https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/aviation/more-foreign-airlines-keen-connect-bangladesh-639986 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the hub of most [[List of airlines of Bangladesh|Bangladeshi airlines]]. Domestic service flies to [[Shah Amanat International Airport|Chittagong]], [[Osmani International Airport|Sylhet]], [[Shah Makhdum Airport|Rajshahi]], [[Cox's Bazar Airport|Cox's Bazar]], [[Jessore Airport|Jessore]], [[Barisal Airport|Barisal]], and [[Saidpur Airport|Saidpur]] ([[Rangpur District|Rangpur]]), and international services fly to major cities in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.<ref name="intsched">{{Cite web |title=Biman's Destination: International Destinations |url=http://biman-airlines.com/our-network/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701060706/http://biman-airlines.com/our-network |archive-date=1 July 2013 |website=Biman Bangladesh Airlines}}</ref><ref name="dhkcityguide">{{Cite web |title=Dhaka – Zia International Airport (DAC) |url=http://www.worldexecutive.com/locations/asia_pacific/bangladesh/dhaka/airports.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424120233/http://www.worldexecutive.com/locations/asia_pacific/bangladesh/dhaka/airports.html |archive-date=24 April 2013 |access-date=15 May 2013 |website=World Executive |publisher=OE Interactive}}</ref> The airport's capacity is expected to more than double to 20 million once the modern [[Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport#Terminal 3|third terminal]] opens fully in October 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 February 2024 |title=Construction of Dhaka airport's 3rd terminal to be fully completed by April 5 |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/340518/construction-of-dhaka-airport%E2%80%99s-3rd-terminal-set |access-date=11 June 2024 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]] |agency=[[United News of Bangladesh]] |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529223800/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/340518/construction-of-dhaka-airport%E2%80%99s-3rd-terminal-set |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Update after|2024|11}} According to the project design, the third terminal will have 12 boarding bridges and 16 conveyor belts. The terminal will have 115 check-in counters and 128 immigration desks.<ref name="q379">{{Cite web |date=9 October 2023 |title=Dhaka Airport Third Terminal: Promising great travel experiences |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/my-dhaka/news/dhaka-airport-third-terminal-promising-great-travel-experiences-3438391 |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=The Daily Star |archive-date=2 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802020139/https://www.thedailystar.net/my-dhaka/news/dhaka-airport-third-terminal-promising-great-travel-experiences-3438391 |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Water supply and sanitation=== {{See also|Water supply and sanitation in Bangladesh|Water management in Dhaka}} [[File:Night view of Hatirjheel.jpg|thumb|[[Hatirjheel]] Lake is a key water reservoir in Dhaka. Its lakefront was transformed from a slum area into a bypass under an [[urban renewal]] project]] [[Water management in Dhaka]] faces numerous challenges such as [[flood]]ing, poor service quality, [[Overdrafting|groundwater depletion]], inadequate [[sanitation]], [[Water pollution|polluted river water]], unplanned urban development, and the existence of large [[slum]]s.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Taqsem |url=https://www.globalwaterintel.com/client_media/uploaded/Conference%20book%202011_Focusing_on_performance_72%20pixels%20per%20inch.pdf |title=Focusing on performance: Global water summit 2011 |publisher=Global Water Intelligence |year=2011 |location=Berlin |pages=50–52 |chapter=The performance challenges of Dhaka WASA |archive-date=26 February 2024 |access-date=26 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226144723/https://www.globalwaterintel.com/client_media/uploaded/Conference%20book%202011_Focusing_on_performance_72%20pixels%20per%20inch.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority]] (Dhaka WASA) is "responsible for providing drinking water, sewerage, and storm-water drainage services to the city".<ref name=":1" /> The work of Dhaka WASA is funded by the [[Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives|Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives]]. 87% of the city's growing water demand is sourced from [[groundwater]] (as of 2021). This is because the extreme contamination of rivers and lakes makes surface water treatment economically and technologically unfeasible.<ref name=":2" /> While around 20% of the daily demand of 2.4 billion litres of water is met with surface water from five [[treatment plant]]s,<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Islam |first=Jahidul |date=2020-03-02 |title=Dhaka Wasa looks to more groundwater extraction |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/dhaka-wasa-looks-more-groundwater-extraction-50872 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=[[The Business Standard]] |language=en |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302144428/https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/dhaka-wasa-looks-more-groundwater-extraction-50872 |url-status=live }}</ref> the groundwater table is falling at a rate of two to three metres per year.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":7" /> The Bangladesh Urban Informal Settlements Survey 2016 included a representative sample of 588 households across small, medium and large [[slum]]s in Dhaka. It showed that 68% of the households accessed [[piped water]] through a shared connection within the slum compound. The poorest households shared a waterpoint with 43 other households on average compared to 23 sharers among the richest households. In terms of [[sanitation]], only 8% of the slum households had access to a [[flush toilet]] connected to a [[septic tank]], while 78% used improved [[pit latrine]]s and the remaining 10% depended on hanging latrines.<ref name=":2" /> === Sewage treatment plants === The [[Sewerage|sewage system]] is inadequate, with 70 per cent of the two million cubic metres of [[sewage]] produced daily being discharged into rivers, according to wastewater management experts.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Mithu |first=Ariful Islam |date=2019-10-07 |title=Dhaka's outdated sewage system choking rivers |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/environment/dhakas-outdated-sewage-system-choking-rivers |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=[[The Business Standard]] |language=en |archive-date=1 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201071503/https://www.tbsnews.net/environment/dhakas-outdated-sewage-system-choking-rivers |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to improper maintenance and the age of the system, the majority of the sewerage network is out of operation.<ref name="s372">{{Cite web |last=Hasan |first=Jubair |date=8 July 2018 |title=Dhaka city exists with no effective sewerage system |url=https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/dhaka-city-exists-with-no-effective-sewerage-system-1531022465 |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=[[The Financial Express (Bangladesh)|The Financial Express]]}}</ref><ref name="o611">{{Cite web |last=Mamun |first=Shohel |date=8 October 2022 |title=Lack of drainage network hampers Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/277874/lack-of-drainage-network-hampers-dasherkandi |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=[[Dhaka Tribune]]}}</ref> Most buildings handle their own sewage by constructing [[soak pit]]s or [[septic tank]]s, often connected to [[storm drain]]s. Consequently, 80 per cent of [[faecal sludge]] ends up in rivers, according to experts.<ref name=":5" /> Dhaka is served by two [[sewage treatment plants]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jahidul Islam |first=Md |date=2022-04-03 |title=South Asia's largest STP in Dasherkandi to operate from June |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/south-asias-largest-stp-dasherkandi-operate-june-396166 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=[[The Business Standard]] |language=en |archive-date=22 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522182020/https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/south-asias-largest-stp-dasherkandi-operate-june-396166 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Pagla Sewerage Treatment Plant (PSTP) in [[Narayanganj District]] has a capacity of 120 [[megalitres]] per day<ref name=":1" /> but can only utilise one-third of its capacity,<ref name=":5" /> handling just 10 per cent of the city's waste.<ref name="o611" /> The Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant, opened in 2023, is South Asia's largest, with a capacity to treat 500 megalitres, or 20–25% of the city's 2,000 megalitres of sewage generated daily.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2023-07-13 |title=PM inaugurates South Asia's largest sewage treatment plant |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/pm-inaugurates-south-asias-largest-sewage-treatment-plant-3367846 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]] |language=en |agency=[[United News of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> However, it is also hampered by a lack of sewage connections.<ref name="o611" /> The [[Government of Bangladesh|Bangladesh Government]] and the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) are implementing an ambitious plan, called ''Dhaka Sewerage Master Plan'', to treat most of the residential and industrial wastewater through the construction of several sewage treatment plants. The Bangladesh Government is planning to install over 12 large new sewage treatment plants over the next 20 years.<ref name=":02" /> == Culture == {{main|Culture of Dhaka}} ===Literature=== Dhaka is a major centre for [[Bengali literature]]. It has been the hub of [[Bengali Muslim]] literature for more than a century. Its heritage also includes historic [[Urdu]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] literary traditions. ''Dark Diamond'' by [[Shazia Omar]] in set in Mughal-era Dhaka during the reign of [[Shaista Khan]], the Mughal viceroy and uncle of Emperor Aurangzeb.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Mughal noir |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/books/story/20161017-dark-diamond-shazia-omar-mughal-era-book-review-829668-2016-10-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928194352/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/books/story/20161017-dark-diamond-shazia-omar-mughal-era-book-review-829668-2016-10-06 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |magazine=India Today}}</ref>''The Soldier in the Attic'' by [[Akhteruzzaman Elias]] is considered to be one of the best depictions of life in [[Old Dhaka]] and is set during Bengali uprisings in 1969. ''[[A Golden Age]]'' by [[Tahmima Anam]] is also set in Dhaka during the Bangladeshi War of Independence and includes references to the [[Dhaka Club]], the [[Dhaka University]] and the [[Dhanmondi]] area. ===Textiles=== [[File:Dhaka Sari Fabric 1.jpg|thumb|Indigenous [[sari]] fabrics, including [[Jamdani]], at a store in Dhaka]] For centuries, the region around Dhaka has been the centre of production for fine cotton textiles. [[Muslin]] was abundantly produced in the region. The weavers of Dhaka were patronized by the rulers of Bengal and Delhi. They supplied textiles to the Mughal imperial court. The city of Dhaka became one of the most important centres of the cotton textile trade in the 17th century; it was the capital of the [[Muslin trade in Bengal]]. Merchants from around the world came to Dhaka to buy its much sought after cotton fabrics. [[UNESCO]] has recognized [[Jamdani]] muslin as an [[intangible cultural heritage]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 December 2013 |title=Unesco declares Jamdani saris intangible cultural heritage |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/unesco-declares-jamdani-saris-intangible-cultural-heritage/articleshow/26927845.cms |work=The Times of India}}</ref> According to UNESCO, "Jamdani is a vividly patterned, sheer cotton fabric, traditionally woven on a handloom by craftspeople and apprentices around Dhaka".<ref name="unesco_00879">{{Cite web |title=UNESCO - Traditional art of Jamdani weaving |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-art-of-jamdani-weaving-00879#:~:text=The%20Jamdani%20sari%20is%20a,highly%20respected%20for%20their%20skills |access-date=20 March 2024 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121184034/https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-art-of-jamdani-weaving-00879#:~:text=The%20Jamdani%20sari%20is%20a,highly%20respected%20for%20their%20skills |url-status=live }}</ref> UNESCO believes "the Jamdani sari is a symbol of identity, dignity and self-recognition and provides wearers with a sense of cultural identity and social cohesion. The weavers develop an occupational identity and take great pride in their heritage; they enjoy social recognition and are highly respected for their skills".<ref name="unesco_00879" /> ===Festivals=== {{multiple image | direction = horizontal | total_width = 400 | caption_align = centre | image1 = Shaheed Minar.JPG | image2 = Mangal Shobhajatra in Dhaka.jpg | caption1 = The [[Shaheed Minar, Dhaka|Central Shaheed Minar]] on [[Language Movement Day]] | caption2 = Dhaka's annual [[Mangal Shobhajatra]] during the [[Bengali New Year]] is recognized by [[UNESCO]] as an [[intangible cultural heritage]] of humanity }} Annual celebrations for [[Language Movement Day|Language Martyrs' Day]] (21 February), [[Bangladeshi Independence Day|Independence Day]] (26 March), and [[Victory Day (Bangladesh)|Victory Day]] (16 December) are prominently celebrated across the city. Dhaka's people congregate at the [[Shaheed Minar, Dhaka|Shaheed Minar]] and the [[Jatiyo Smriti Soudho]] to remember the national heroes of the liberation war. These occasions are observed with public ceremonies and rallies on public grounds. Many schools and colleges organize fairs, festivals, and concerts in which citizens from all levels of society participate.<ref name="Cul" />''[[Pohela Baishakh]]'', the Bengali New Year, falls annually on 14 April and is popularly celebrated across the city.<ref name="Cul">{{Cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Nizamuddin |date=27 September 2006 |title=Happy 400th anniversary, Dhaka! |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities01.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302091655/http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities01.htm |archive-date=2 March 2007 |access-date=27 September 2006 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> Large crowds of people gather on the streets of [[Shahbag]], [[Ramna Park]] and the campus of the University of Dhaka for celebrations. ''[[Pahela Falgun]]'', the first day of spring of the month [[Falgun]] in the [[Bengali calendar]], is also festively celebrated in the city.<ref name="history">{{Cite news |date=14 February 2011 |title=Pohela Falgun celebrated |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=174151/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074436/http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=174151%2F |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=18 January 2021 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> This day is marked with colourful celebration and traditionally, women wear yellow saris to celebrate this day. This celebration is also known as ''Basanta Utsab'' (Spring Festival). [[Nabanna]] is a harvest celebration, usually celebrated with food and dance, and music on the 1st day of the month of Agrahayan of the Bengali year. Birthdays of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam are observed respectively as [[Rabindra Jayanti]] and [[Nazrul Jayanti]]. The [[Ekushey Book Fair]], which is arranged each year by [[Bangla Academy (Bangladesh)|Bangla Academy]], takes place for the whole month of February. This event is dedicated to the martyrs who died on 21 February 1952 in a demonstration calling for the establishment of Bengali as one of the state languages of former [[Historical regions of Pakistan|East Pakistan]]. [[Shakrain|Shakrain Festival]] is an annual celebration observed with the flying of kites.<ref name="dstar">{{Cite news |date=19 January 2011 |title=Shakrain festival |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=170574 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118102208/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-170574 |archive-date=18 January 2021 |access-date=14 January 2019 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref> It is usually observed in the old part of the city at the end of Poush, the ninth month of the Bengali calendar (14 or 15 January in the [[Gregorian calendar]]). ==== Religious Festivals ==== The Islamic festivals of [[Eid ul-Fitr]], [[Eid ul-Adha]], [[Mawlid|Eid-E-Miladunnabi]] and [[Muharram]]; the Hindu festival of [[Durga Puja]]; the Buddhist festival of [[Buddha Purnima]]; and the [[Christmas|Christian festival of Christmas]] witness widespread celebrations across the city. === Music === The popularity of music groups and rock bands such as [[Warfaze]], [[Shironamhin]], [[Artcell]] and other solo artists such as Aryan Chowdhary, [[Ayub Bachchu]], and [[Shafin Ahmed]] is growing day by day among the newer generations of Dhaka.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-09 |title=The world of underground music |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/spotlight/the-world-underground-music-1402591 |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> Despite this, traditional [[Music of Bangladesh|folk music]] remains widely popular.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Siddiqui |first=Kamal |title=Mega Cities |publisher=GEOSPACE Verlag |year=2001 |isbn=3-85313-051-8 |editor-last=Lothar Beckel |page=130 |chapter=Dhaka}}</ref> The works of the national poet [[Kazi Nazrul Islam]], national anthem writer [[Rabindranath Tagore]] and mystic saint songwriter [[Lalon]] have a widespread following across Dhaka.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Arnold |first=Alison |title=The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: The Indian Subcontinent |publisher=Routledge |year=1999 |isbn=0-8240-4946-2 |pages=858–859}}</ref> Bailey Road is known as ''natak para'' (drama neighbourhood) for its two theatre halls.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2000 |title=Bangladesh |encyclopedia=The World of Theatre |publisher=Routledge |last=Hoque |first=Mofidul |author-link=Mofidul Hoque |editor-last=Herbert |editor-first=Ian |edition=2000 |page=12 |isbn=0-415-23866-8 |editor-last2=Leclercq |editor-first2=Nicole}}</ref>[[File:Grave - Kazi Nazrul Islam - University of Dhaka Campus - Dhaka 2015-05-31 2306-2307.tif|thumb|[[Mausoleum of Kazi Nazrul Islam]]]] [[File:Ekushey Book Fair 2018 (24).jpg|thumb|A Bengali book stall at the [[Ekushey Book Fair]]]] ===Cultural institutions=== * [[Bengal Foundation]] * [[Chhayanaut]] * [[Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka|Institute of Fine Arts]] * [[Nazrul Institute]] * [[Samdani Art Foundation]] * [[Shilpakala Academy]] ===Annual and biennial cultural events=== * [[Bengal Classical Music Festival]] * [[Chobi Mela International Photography Festival]] * [[Dhaka Art Summit]] * [[Dhaka Lit Fest]] * [[Dhaka World Music Festival]] * [[Dhaka International Book Fair]] * [[Dhaka International Trade Fair]] * [[Ekushey Book Fair]] ===Rickshaws=== [[File:Rickshaw back decoration.jpg|thumb|upright|Rickshaw art]] [[Rickshaws in Bangladesh|Rickshaws]] have become a symbol of the city. Rickshaws are colourfully painted with floral patterns and depictions of birds, animals, movie stars, religious text, historical events and national heroes. According to [[UNESCO]], "Rickshaws and rickshaw painting are viewed as a key part of the city's cultural tradition and a dynamic form of urban folk art".<ref name="unesco_01589" /> ===Cuisine=== {{See also|Biryani|Bangladeshi cuisine}} [[File:Basmati Kacchi Biryani (2).jpg|thumb|Dhaka has a renowned style of mutton (goat meat) and potato [[biryani]], known as the ''Kacchi Biryani''.]] [[File:Bakorkhani.jpg|thumb|[[Bakarkhani]] is a snack item mostly eaten in [[old Dhaka]]]] Historically, Dhaka has been the culinary capital of Bengal for Muslim cuisine, particularly [[Mughlai cuisine]]. Restaurants in the city serve several types of [[biryani]], including Kacchi Biryani ([[goat meat]]), [[Tehri (dish)|Tehari]] ([[beef]]), Murag Pulao ([[chicken]]), and Ilish Pulao ([[ilish]] fish). [[Khichuri|Khichuri rice]] is a popular [[comfort food]]. A distinct variant of Bengali-Mughlai cuisine evolved in the city. Like other Mughal cities, a special tradition exists to eat [[nihari]] beef stew during breakfast. In Dhaka, the nihari stew can be eaten with Bengali breads.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unb.com.bd/category/Lifestyle/popular-winter-breakfasts-in-bangladesh/125817|title=Popular Winter Breakfasts in Bangladesh|website=unb.com.bd}}</ref> Chefs from Dhaka, the former Mughal provincial capital, served in the kitchens of the Nawabs of Dhaka and Murshidabad. They invented the ''Kacchi Biryani'', which is a variant of [[biryani]] with mutton steaks and potatoes. One of the longest surviving outlets serving authentic ''Kacchi Biryani'' is Fakhruddin's.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 January 2021 |title=From a school kitchen to a household name, the history of Fakhruddin Biryani |url=https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2021/01/26/from-a-school-kitchen-to-a-household-name-the-history-of-fakhruddin-biryani |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003020923/https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2021/01/26/from-a-school-kitchen-to-a-household-name-the-history-of-fakhruddin-biryani |archive-date=3 October 2022 |access-date=30 September 2022 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref> ''Kacchi Biryani'' is highly popular in Bangladeshi cuisine, with food critic and former [[MasterChef Australia]] judge [[Matt Preston]] praising its use of potatoes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 March 2016 |title=Dhaka's biryani can be UNESCO world heritage, says food critic Matt Preston |url=https://bdnews24.com/lifestyle/2016/03/28/dhakas-biryani-can-be-unesco-world-heritage-says-food-critic-matt-preston |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303152250/https://bdnews24.com/lifestyle/2016/03/28/dhakas-biryani-can-be-unesco-world-heritage-says-food-critic-matt-preston |archive-date=3 March 2022 |access-date=4 March 2022 |work=bdnews24.com}}</ref> [[Borhani]] is served as a drink alongside biryani. The Nawabi cuisine of Dhaka was notable for its ''patishapta'' dessert and the ''Kubali [[pilaf|pulao]]''. The [[korma]] recipe of the Nawab family was included by [[Madhur Jaffrey]] in her cookbook "Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The official web site of the Dhaka Nawab Family: Things You Should Know... |url=http://www.nawabbari.com/main_food.html?string=food.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608122520/http://nawabbari.com/main_food.html?string=food.html |archive-date=8 June 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=www.nawabbari.com}}</ref> [[Bakarkhani]] breads from Dhaka were served in the courts of Mughal rulers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Melvin Ember, Carol R. Ember |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofur0000unse/page/147 |title=Encyclopedia of Urban Cultures : Cayenne-Kyoto: Cities and Cultures Around the World |publisher=Grolier |year=2002 |isbn=0-7172-5698-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofur0000unse/page/147 147] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Since 1939, [[Haji biryani]] has been a leading biryani restaurant in the city. Dhaka also has a style of ''Murag Pulao'' (chicken biryani) which uses [[turmeric]] and ''[[malai]]'' (cream of milk) together.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 February 2017 |title=Treasures of Bangladeshi cuisine |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/living-and-lifestyle/treasures-bangladeshi-cuisine-1366105 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228153936/http://www.thedailystar.net/living-and-lifestyle/treasures-bangladeshi-cuisine-1366105 |archive-date=28 February 2017 |access-date=1 March 2017 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> Local [[kebab]]s are widely eaten when dining out. The [[seekh kebab]] and [[chicken tikka]] are the most popular dishes in kebab restaurants, which are eaten with either [[naan]] or [[paratha]]. [[Liver (food)|Liver]] is often eaten with breads, as a stuffing, or as a curry. [[Star Kabab]] is the most popular kebab chain in the city, alongside other chains and gourmet restaurants.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 October 2020 |title=5 best Kabab places in Dhaka |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/feature/food/5-best-kabab-places-dhaka-148747 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625205053/https://www.tbsnews.net/feature/food/5-best-kabab-places-dhaka-148747 |archive-date=25 June 2023 |access-date=25 June 2023 |work=The Business News}}</ref> Different kinds of [[bhurta]], which refers to mashed vegetables, are widely eaten. Various types of Bengali fish curry are found in the city. Along with [[South Asian cuisine]], a large variety of Western and [[Chinese cuisine]] is served at numerous restaurants and food courts.<ref name="CiE">{{Cite news |last=Lawson |first=Alistair |date=1 June 2002 |title=Good times for bourgeois Bangladeshis |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2018535.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324150041/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2018535.stm |archive-date=24 March 2012 |access-date=2 October 2006 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Upmarket areas include many Thai, Japanese and Korean restaurants.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 January 2014 |title=A World of Inspiration at Bangladesh's 10 Best Restaurants |url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/bangladesh/articles/bangladesh-s-10-best-cultural-restaurants-a-world-of-inspiration/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930225733/https://theculturetrip.com/asia/bangladesh/articles/bangladesh-s-10-best-cultural-restaurants-a-world-of-inspiration/ |archive-date=30 September 2022 |access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] food is also very popular in Dhaka, especially in upmarket areas.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 November 2021 |title=Top five lasagnas in Dhaka |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/features/food/top-five-lasagnas-dhaka-328642 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703211919/https://www.tbsnews.net/features/food/top-five-lasagnas-dhaka-328642 |archive-date=3 July 2023 |access-date=3 July 2023 |work=The Business Standard}}</ref> During [[Ramadan]], [[Chowkbazar Thana|Chowkbazaar]] becomes a busy marketplace for ''[[iftar]]'' items. The ''[[Jalebi|jilapi]]'' of Dhaka are much thicker than counterparts in India and Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2021 |title=OP-ED: 'Jilapi' vs 'Jalebi' |url=https://archive.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2021/04/27/op-ed-jilapi-vs-jalebi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930225733/https://archive.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2021/04/27/op-ed-jilapi-vs-jalebi |archive-date=30 September 2022 |access-date=30 September 2022 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref> The [[Shahi jilapi]] (king's jilapi) is one of the thickest jilapi produced. The ''[[panipuri|phuchka]]'' and ''[[jhalmuri]]'' are popular street food. Dhaka hosts an array of Bengali dessert chains that sell a wide variety of [[List of Bangladeshi sweets and desserts|sweets]]. [[Samosa]]s and ''shingaras'' are also widely eaten traditional snacks. In recent years, the number of Bangladeshi-owned [[Hamburger|burger]] outlets has increased across the city. Notable bakeries include the [[Prince of Wales bakery]] in Old Dhaka and the [[Cooper's (bakery)|Cooper's]] chain. ===Architecture=== {{See also|List of tallest buildings in Dhaka|Architecture of Dhaka}} {{multiple image |perrow=2 |total_width= | align = right | direction = vertical | image_style = border:none; | title = | image1 = Haturia House - Khanka E Aliya - Dhaka by NKS.jpg | caption1 = Haturia House was built in the Anglo-Mughal style in 1920 | image2 = Gulshan Society Jame Masjid 04.jpg | caption2 = [[Gulshan Society Mosque]] was built in the modernist style in 2017 }} The architectural history of Dhaka can be subdivided into the Mughal, British, and modern periods. As a result, Dhaka has landmarks of [[Mughal architecture]], [[Indo-Saracenic architecture]], and [[modernist architecture]]. The oldest brick structure in the city is the [[Binat Bibi Mosque]], which was built in 1454 in the [[Narinda]] area of Dhaka during the reign of the Sultan [[Mahmud Shah (Sultan of Bengal)|Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah]] (r. 1435 – 1459) of the Bengal Sultanate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Binat Bibi Mosque |url=http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=7368 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060301041726/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=7368 |archive-date=1 March 2006 |access-date=18 September 2012 |publisher=ArchNet Digital Library}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=''From Jahangirnagar to Dhaka'' by Faruque Hasan in ''The Daily Star'' |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/forum/2008/august/jahangirnagar.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025233001/http://www.thedailystar.net/forum/2008/august/jahangirnagar.htm |archive-date=25 October 2012 |access-date=22 June 2017}}</ref> Old Dhaka is home to over 2000 buildings built between the 16th and 19th centuries, which form an integral part of Dhaka's cultural heritage. Modern Dhaka is often criticized as a concrete jungle.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Greening the concrete jungle |url=https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/editorial/greening-the-concrete-jungle-1578413306 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002204203/https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/editorial/greening-the-concrete-jungle-1578413306 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Financial Express |location=Dhaka}}</ref> In the old part of the city, the fading grandeur of the Mughal era is evident in the crumbling, neglected caravanserai like [[Bara Katra]] and [[Chhota Katra|Choto Katra]]. Some structures like the [[Nimtali arch]] have been restored. The old city features narrow alleyways with high-walled lanes and houses with indoor courtyards.<ref name="himalmag1" /> The early 20th century government quarter in [[Ramna]] includes stately colonial buildings set amidst gardens and parks.<ref name="himalmag1" /> Among colonial buildings, the [[Curzon Hall]] stands out for "synthesizing imperial grandiosity with sporadic Mughal motifs".<ref name="25Buildings">{{Cite news |date=11 June 2018 |title=The story of Dhaka, as told through 25 buildings |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/the-story-dhaka-told-through-25-buildings-1589212 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002204157/https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/the-story-dhaka-told-through-25-buildings-1589212 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)]]}}</ref> Amongst modernist buildings, the [[Grameenphone]] headquarters is described as "a paradigm setter for corporate Bangladesh".<ref name="25Buildings" /> The Museum of Independence and its attached national monument were inspired by the "land-water mysticism of deltaic Bengal" and the "evocative expansiveness of a Roman forum or the geographical assemblage of an Egyptian ''mastaba'' sanctuary".<ref name="25Buildings" /> Dhaka's Art Institute, designed by [[Muzharul Islam]], was the pioneering building of Bengali regional modernism.<ref name="25Buildings" /> The vast expanse of the national parliament complex was designed by [[Louis Kahn]]. It is celebrated as Dhaka's pre-eminent civic space.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Is There Good Architecture in Dhaka? |url=https://bengal.institute/news/is-there-good-architecture-in-dhaka/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119100053/https://bengal.institute/news/is-there-good-architecture-in-dhaka/ |archive-date=19 November 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> The national parliament complex comprises 200 acres (800,000 m<sup>2</sup>) in the heart of the city.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ali |first1=Meer Mobashsher |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |last2=Rouf |first2=Md Abdur |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |year=2012 |editor-last=Islam |editor-first=Sirajul |editor-link=Sirajul Islam |edition=Second |chapter=Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban |access-date=27 June 2017 |editor-last2=Jamal |editor-first2=Ahmed A. |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Jatiya_Sangsad_Bhaban |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804173557/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Jatiya_Sangsad_Bhaban |archive-date=4 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Kamalapur railway station]] was designed by American architect [[Robert Boughey]].<ref name="Morshed" /> In the last few decades, Bangladesh's new wave of cultural architecture has been influenced by Bengali aesthetics and the environment.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 December 2019 |title=New Bangladesh: How Shatotto is Reimagining Architecture in Dhaka - Architizer Journal |url=https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/new-bangladesh-shatotto/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002204203/https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/new-bangladesh-shatotto/ |archive-date=2 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref> [[City Centre Bangladesh]] is currently the tallest building in the city. ===Publishing and media=== {{See also|Mass media in Bangladesh}} {{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=400 | align = right | image_style = border:none; | title = | image1 = Collection of Bangladesh Newspapers.jpg | caption1 = Major titles of the Bengali press | image2 = Collection of Bangladesh English Newspapers.jpg | caption2 = Dhaka's English language newspapers }} In 1849, the Katra Press became the first printing press in the city. The name alludes to the ''[[Katra (Dhaka)|katra]]'', the Bengali word for caravanserai. In 1856, ''[[Dacca News]]'' became the first English-language newspaper in the city. The Dacca News Press was the first commercial printing press in the city. Books published in Dhaka stirred discourse in the social and literary circles of Bengal. The Bengal Library Catalogue records the expansion of the publishing industry during the 1860s. Between 1877 and 1895, there were 45 printing presses in Dhaka. Between 1863 and 1900, more than a hundred Islamic [[puthi]] were published in Dhaka. Bookshops sprang up in [[Chowkbazar Thana|Chowkbazaar]], Islampur, Mughaltuli, and Patuatuli. Albert Library was a den for left-wing activists.<ref name="thedailystar2">{{Cite news |date=19 August 2022 |title=How Partition impacted the Dhaka book trade |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/daily-star-books/news/how-partition-impacted-the-dhaka-book-trade-3098506 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831145925/https://www.thedailystar.net/daily-star-books/news/how-partition-impacted-the-dhaka-book-trade-3098506 |archive-date=31 August 2022 |access-date=31 August 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> After partition, the number of publishing houses in Dhaka rose from 27 in 1947 to 88 in 1966.<ref name="thedailystar2" /> Prominent bookshops included Wheeler's Bookstall and Presidency Library. Banglabazaar has since become the hub of the book trade.<ref name="thedailystar2" /> Bookworm is a famous local book shop that has been located adjacent to the Prime Minister's Office for three decades until being ordered to relocate in 2022;<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bookworm Bangladesh: Three decades of Dhaka's famous outlet for English books |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/10/27/three-decades-of-dhakas-famous-outlet-for-english-books |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028130510/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/10/27/three-decades-of-dhakas-famous-outlet-for-english-books |archive-date=28 October 2022 |access-date=28 October 2022 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Bookworm Bangladesh to vacate its home of three decades |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/ywz4iysvqy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028130752/https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/ywz4iysvqy |archive-date=28 October 2022 |access-date=28 October 2022 |work=bdnews24.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Bookworm Bangladesh to vacate shop after 30 years of serving readers |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/daily-star-books/news/bookworm-bangladesh-vacate-shop-after-30-years-serving-readers-3152751 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028130753/https://www.thedailystar.net/daily-star-books/news/bookworm-bangladesh-vacate-shop-after-30-years-serving-readers-3152751 |archive-date=28 October 2022 |access-date=28 October 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> it is now located in Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 February 2023 |title=The bookstore in the park: Bookworm opens in Gulshan 2 |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/daily-star-books/news/the-bookstore-the-park-bookworm-opens-gulshan-2-3239736}}</ref> Dhaka is the centre of the national media in Bangladesh. It is home to the state-owned [[Bangladesh Television]] and [[Bangladesh Betar]]. In recent years, the number of privately owned television channels and radio stations has increased greatly. There are over two dozen Bengali language television channels in the private sector, including 24-hour news channels. Radio is also popular across the city. Dhaka is home to national newspapers, including Bengali newspapers like ''[[Prothom Alo]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 January 2020 |title=No arrest of Prothom Alo editor until bail hearing: HC |url=https://en.banglatribune.com/others/news/89438/No-arrest-of-Prothom-Alo-editor-until-bail |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930094909/https://en.banglatribune.com/others/news/89438/No-arrest-of-Prothom-Alo-editor-until-bail |archive-date=30 September 2022 |access-date=22 October 2022 |work=[[Bangla Tribune]]}}</ref> ''[[The Daily Ittefaq|Ittefaq]]'', ''[[Daily Inqilab|Inqilab]]'', ''[[Janakantha]]'', and ''[[Jugantor]]''; as well as English language newspapers ''[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Daily Star Conference Hall |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/conference-hall |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928194401/https://www.thedailystar.net/conference-hall |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> ''[[The Financial Express (Bangladesh)|The Financial Express]]'', ''The Business Standard'', ''[[Dhaka Tribune]]'', and ''[[New Age (Bangladesh)|New Age]]''. Broadcast media based in Dhaka include [[Gaan Bangla]], [[Banglavision]], [[DBC News]], [[Somoy TV]], [[Independent Television (Bangladesh)|Independent TV]] and [[Ekattor]]. == Education and research == {{See also|Education in Bangladesh}} [[File:Curzon Hall, University of Dhaka 2023 department.jpg|thumb|[[Curzon Hall]] is the home of the Faculty of Science, Dhaka University]] Dhaka has the largest number of schools, colleges and universities of any Bangladeshi city. The education system is divided into five levels: primary (from grades 1 to 5), junior (from grades 6 to 8), secondary (from grades 9 to 10), higher secondary (from grades 11 to 12) and tertiary.<ref name="CompEd">{{Cite book |last=T. Neville Postlethwaite |title=The Encyclopedia of Comparative Education and National Systems of Education |publisher=Pergamon Press |year=1988 |isbn=0-08-030853-8 |page=130}}</ref> The five years of primary education concludes with a Primary School Completion (PSC) Examination, the three years of junior education concludes with [[Junior School Certificate]] (JSC) Examination. Next, two years of secondary education concludes with a [[Secondary School Certificate]] (SSC) Examination. Students who pass this examination proceed to two years of higher secondary or intermediate training, which culminate in a [[Higher Secondary School Certificate]] (HSC) Examination.<ref name=CompEd/> Education is mainly offered in Bengali. However, English is also widely taught and used. Many Muslim families send their children to attend part-time courses or even to pursue full-time religious education alongside other subjects, which is imparted in Bengali and Arabic in schools, colleges and [[Madrasa#Bangladesh|madrasas]].<ref name=CompEd/> There are [[List of universities in Bangladesh|52 universities]] in Dhaka. [[Dhaka College]] is the oldest institution for higher education in the city and among the earliest established in British India, founded in 1841. Since independence, Dhaka has seen the establishment of numerous public and private colleges and universities that offer undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as a variety of doctoral programs.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} The [[University of Dhaka]] is the oldest public university in the country which has more than 30,000 students and 1,800 faculty staff.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 December 2007 |title=Dhaka teachers on violence charge |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7138123.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214124759/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7138123.stm |archive-date=14 December 2007 |access-date=15 May 2008 |work=BBC News}}</ref> It was established in 1921 being the first university in the region. The university has 23 research centres and 70 departments, faculties, and institutes.<ref name="DhakaU">{{Cite web |title=Univ. Facts |url=http://www.univdhaka.edu/fastFacts.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060904074222/http://www.univdhaka.edu/fastFacts.php |archive-date=4 September 2006 |access-date=10 September 2006 |website=University of Dhaka}}</ref> Eminent seats of higher education include [[Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology]] (BUET), [[Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University]] (BSMMU), [[Jagannath University]] and [[Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History & act |url=http://www.sau.edu.bd/about/history-a-act |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928035835/http://www.sau.edu.bd/about/history-a-act |archive-date=28 September 2011 |access-date=19 October 2011 |website=Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University}}</ref> [[Bangladesh University of Professionals]] (BUP), situated in [[Mirpur Cantonment]], is the largest public university affiliated with the armed forces.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 April 2009|title=Bangladesh University of Professionals Act, 2009 (Act No. 30 of 2009)|url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-details-1016.html?lang=en|access-date=5 September 2021|website=www.bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003192304/http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-details-1016.html?lang=en |archive-date=2024-10-03 }}</ref> [[Dhaka Medical College and Hospital|Dhaka Medical College]] is one of the oldest and largest [[Medical Colleges of Bangladesh|medical colleges]] in the country.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Muhammad Shamsul Huq |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000075760/PDF/75760eng.pdf.multi |title=Higher Education and Employment in Bangladesh |publisher=UNESCO |year=1983 |isbn=92-803-1102-6 |page=181 |access-date=22 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519032119/https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000075760/PDF/75760eng.pdf.multi |archive-date=19 May 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Founded in 1875, the Dhaka Medical School was the first medical school in British East Bengal, which became [[Sir Salimullah Medical College]] in 1962.<ref>{{Citation |last=Shahida Alam |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |year=2012 |editor-last=Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal |access-date=8 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401071734/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mitford_Hospital |archive-date=1 April 2017 |url-status=live |chapter=Mitford Hospital |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mitford_Hospital |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> Other government medical colleges are [[Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College]], [[Mugda Medical College & Hospital|Mugda Medical College]] and [[Armed Forces Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh|Armed Forces Medical College, Dhaka]]. Two [[Nobel laureate]]s are prominently associated with the city, including [[Amartya Sen]] who grew up in the city during the 1930s and 1940s, and attended [[St. Gregory's High School and College|St. Gregory's School]];<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 Feb 2020 |title=Back to the alma mater |url=https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/education/back-to-the-alma-mater-1580929247 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821234546/https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/education/back-to-the-alma-mater-1580929247 |archive-date=21 August 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |work=The Financial Express}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 July 2022 |title=Expat alumni of St Gregory's High School and College form not-for-profit organisation |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/contribute-nations-development-3076521 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821220033/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/contribute-nations-development-3076521 |archive-date=21 August 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitra |first=Saheli |date=12 November 2021 |title=Amartya Sen's nostalgia: Jagat Kutir, his home in Dhaka |url=https://www.getbengal.com/details/amartya-sens-nostalgia-jagat-kutir-his-home-in-dhaka |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821220034/https://www.getbengal.com/details/amartya-sens-nostalgia-jagat-kutir-his-home-in-dhaka |archive-date=21 August 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=Get Bengal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Islam |first=Nazrul |date=4 January 1999 |title=Amartya Sen's Love/Hate for Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/amartya-sens-lovehate-for-dhaka |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821220034/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/amartya-sens-lovehate-for-dhaka |archive-date=21 August 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> and [[Muhammad Yunus]], who studied at [[Dhaka University]], founded the [[Grameen Bank]] and lives in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Nobel Peace Prize 2006 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2006/yunus/biographical/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726173150/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2006/yunus/biographical/ |archive-date=26 July 2022 |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=NobelPrize.org}}</ref> {{clear}} ===Learned societies and think tanks=== [[File:Bangla Academy Inside 2 by Ashfaq.jpg|thumb|The [[Bangla Academy (Bangladesh)|Bangla Academy]]]] * [[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] * [[Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka]] * [[Bangla Academy (Bangladesh)|Bangla Academy]] * [[Bangladesh Academy of Sciences]] * [[Bangladesh Enterprise Institute]] * [[Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies]] * [[Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies]] * [[Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs]] * [[Bangladesh Institute of Peace & Security Studies]] * [[Centre for Policy Dialogue]] * [[Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific]] * [[International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh]] * [[International Jute Study Group]] * [[Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization]] * [[Yunus Centre]] == Sports == [[File:Mirpur Indoor Stadium, Dhaka.jpeg|thumb|Mirpur Indoor Stadium]] [[File:BPL Fire Works.jpg|thumb|Fireworks at the launch of a [[Bangladesh Premier League]] season at [[Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium]]]] [[File:Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh.jpg|thumb|221x221px|[[National Stadium, Dhaka]], the largest football stadium in Dhaka]] [[Cricket]] and [[Association football|football]] are the two most popular sports in Dhaka and across the nation.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The New Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |year=1993 |isbn=0-85229-571-5 |editor-last=MacHenry |editor-first=Robert |page=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia07ency/page/717 717] |chapter=Bangladesh |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia07ency/page/717 |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref> Teams are fielded in intra-city and national competitions by many schools, colleges and private entities. The [[Dhaka Metropolis cricket team]] represents Dhaka City in the [[National Cricket League]], the oldest domestic [[first-class cricket]] competition in Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 March 2021 |title=NCL set to start today |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/news/ncl-set-start-today-2064609 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526090434/https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/news/ncl-set-start-today-2064609 |archive-date=26 May 2021 |access-date=26 May 2021 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref> The [[Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League|Dhaka Premier League]] is the only domestic [[List A cricket]] tournament now in Bangladesh. It gained List A status in [[2013–14 Bangladeshi cricket season|2013–14 season]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Isam |first=Mohammad |title=Revamped Dhaka League ready for kick-off |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/bangladesh/content/story/669635.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203002509/http://www.espncricinfo.com/bangladesh/content/story/669635.html |archive-date=3 February 2017 |access-date=30 January 2017 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> In domestic [[Twenty20]] cricket, Dhaka has a [[Bangladesh Premier League]] franchise known as [[Minister Dhaka|Dhaka Capitals]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 January 2020 |title=Dhaka Platoon sent packing |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/cricket/news/dhaka-platoon-sent-packing-1853842 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525115137/https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/cricket/news/dhaka-platoon-sent-packing-1853842 |archive-date=25 May 2021 |access-date=24 May 2021 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref> Dhaka has the distinction of having hosted the first official [[Test cricket]] match of the [[Pakistan cricket team]] in 1954 against India.<ref name="First test">{{Cite news |date=7 September 2006 |title=Stadium |url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/bangladesh/content/ground/56661.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060625130015/http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/bangladesh/content/ground/56661.html |archive-date=25 June 2006 |access-date=26 May 2006 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> The [[National Stadium, Dhaka]] was formerly the main venue for domestic and international cricket matches, but now exclusively hosts football matches.<ref name="First test" /> It hosted the opening ceremony of the [[2011 Cricket World Cup]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 February 2011 |title=Cricket World Cup: Grand ceremony launches tournament |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/9400288.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219051338/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/9400288.stm |archive-date=19 February 2011 |access-date=20 June 2011 |work=BBC Sport}}</ref> while the [[Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium]], exclusively used for cricket, hosted 6 matches of the tournament including two [[2011 Cricket World Cup knockout stage#Quarter-finals|quarter-final]] matches.<ref name="2011WC">{{Cite news |title=ICC Cricket World Cup 2010/11 / Results |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/series/381449.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717161309/http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/series/381449.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 |access-date=20 June 2011 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> Dhaka has also hosted the [[South Asian Games]] three times, in [[1985 South Asian Games|1985]], [[1993 South Asian Games|1993]] and [[2010 South Asian Games|2010]]. Dhaka is the first city to host the games three times. The National Stadium was the main venue for all three editions.<ref name="news1">{{Cite news |title=11th South Asian Games to start in January 2010 |url=http://www.china.org.cn/sports/news/2009-02/18/content_17295836.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211214613/http://www.china.org.cn/sports/news/2009-02/18/content_17295836.htm |archive-date=11 February 2010 |access-date=21 March 2009 |work=Xinhua News Agency}}</ref> Dhaka also hosted the [[ICC Men's T20 World Cup]], along with Chittagong and [[Sylhet]], in [[2014 ICC World Twenty20|2014]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 October 2013 |title=2014 T20 WC Fixtures |url=http://www.cricketworld4u.com/series/icc-twenty20-wc-2014/index.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101223826/http://www.cricketworld4u.com/series/icc-twenty20-wc-2014/index.php |archive-date=1 November 2013 |access-date=24 May 2021}}</ref> In football, the [[Dhaka Derby]] between [[Dhaka Mohammedan|Mohammedan SC]] and [[Abahani Limited Dhaka]] is the biggest sports rivalry in the country. The two clubs have maintained their fierce rivalry over the years in the [[Bangladesh Premier League (football)|Bangladesh Football Premier League]] and previously in the historic [[Dhaka League]], which is the second oldest football league in South Asia, officially commencing in 1948.<ref name="starsport">{{Cite news |last=Sadi |first=Al Musabbir |date=17 June 2007 |title=Tasty derby drawn |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/06/17/d70617040133.htm |access-date=21 February 2009 |work=The Daily Star |archive-date=16 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116191326/http://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/06/17/d70617040133.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The National Stadium in Dhaka has been the home venue for the [[Bangladesh national football team|national football team]] since 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bangabandhu National Stadium to be decorated at a cost of Tk 96 cr – The Daily Industry |url=https://dailyindustry.news/bangabandhu-national-stadium-to-be-decorated-at-a-cost-of-tk-96-cr/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524004924/https://dailyindustry.news/bangabandhu-national-stadium-to-be-decorated-at-a-cost-of-tk-96-cr/ |archive-date=24 May 2022 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> It has hosted the [[SAFF Championship]] on three occasions, with the first being the [[2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2003 edition]], which Bangladesh went on to win.<ref>{{Cite web |last=জামান |first=নওশাদ |script-title=bn:ফিরে দেখাঃ সাফ চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ '০৩ |url=https://pavilion.com.bd/details/news/20155/%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%96%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%83-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AB-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BF%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA-%27%E0%A7%A6%E0%A7%A9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104145721/https://pavilion.com.bd/details/news/20155/%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%96%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%83-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AB-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BF%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA-%27%E0%A7%A6%E0%A7%A9 |archive-date=4 January 2022 |access-date=5 April 2022 |website=প্যাভিলিয়ন}}</ref> The [[1978 AFC Youth Championship]] was the first major international tournament hosted by the stadium.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=bn:ঢাকার মাঠে সবচেয়ে বড় ফুটবল উৎসব |url=https://www.utpalshuvro.com/special-article/news/417 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723162135/https://www.utpalshuvro.com/special-article/news/417 |archive-date=23 July 2022 |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=উৎপল শুভ্র :: Utp al Shuvro}}</ref> The [[National Sports Council]], responsible for promoting sports activities across the nation, is based in Dhaka. Dhaka also has stadiums largely used for domestic events such as the [[Bangladesh Army Stadium]], the [[Bir Sherestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium]], the [[Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium]], the [[Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium]] and the [[Outer Stadium Ground]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grounds – Bangladesh: Dhaka |url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/bangladesh/content/town/56660.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006162140/http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/bangladesh/content/town/56660.html |archive-date=6 October 2007 |access-date=13 March 2008 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> The city's colleges and universities are active in intercollegiate athletics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rahim |first=Muhammad Abdur |author-link=Muhammad Abdur Rahim |title=The History of the University of Dacca |publisher=University of Dacca |year=1981 |page=161 |oclc=8765658}}</ref> There are two [[golf course]]s in Dhaka, [[Army Golf Club]] and [[Kurmitola Golf Club]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh Golf Federation Member list |url=http://www.bgf-bd.org/ClubList |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070318/http://www.bgf-bd.org/ClubList |archive-date=2 February 2017 |access-date=30 January 2017 |publisher=Bangladesh Golf Federation}}</ref> == Twin towns – sister cities == * {{flagicon|IND}} [[Kolkata]], [[India]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mazumdar |first=Jaideep |date=17 November 2013 |title=A tale of two cities: Will Kolkata learn from her sister? |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/A-tale-of-two-cities-Will-Kolkata-learn-from-her-sister/articleshow/25916888.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723040319/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/A-tale-of-two-cities-Will-Kolkata-learn-from-her-sister/articleshow/25916888.cms |archive-date=23 July 2014 |access-date=24 May 2021 |work=The Times of India |location=New Delhi}}</ref> * {{flagicon|USA}} [[New York City]], [[United States]]<ref name="worldatlas.com">{{Cite web |date=12 March 2019 |title=List Of Sister Cities – What Is A Sister City? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-twin-towns-or-sister-cities.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408175608/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-twin-towns-or-sister-cities.html |archive-date=8 April 2022 |access-date=16 March 2022 |website=WorldAtlas}}</ref> * {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Guangzhou]], [[China]]<ref name="worldatlas.com" /> * {{flagicon|ROM}} [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 March 2022 |title=Bucharest becomes Dhaka's sister city |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bucharest-becomes-dhakas-sister-city-385370 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316082947/https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bucharest-becomes-dhakas-sister-city-385370 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |access-date=16 March 2022 |work=The Business Standard}}</ref> * {{flagicon|PER}} [[Lima]], [[Peru]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 January 2018 |title=Sister Cities: Similar Customs |url=https://lucidez.pe/ciudades-hermanas-costumbres-similares-por-ines-yabar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408145456/https://lucidez.pe/ciudades-hermanas-costumbres-similares-por-ines-yabar/ |archive-date=8 April 2022 |access-date=16 March 2022}}</ref> * {{Flag icon|Brazil}} [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] == See also == * [[List of districts and suburbs of Dhaka]] * [[List of places of worship in Dhaka city]] * [[List of largest cities]] * [[List of metropolitan areas in Asia]] * [[List of most expensive cities for expatriate employees]] * [[List of urban agglomerations in Asia]] * [[Mia Shaheb Moidan]] * [[Minervarya dhaka]] * [[Districts of Bangladesh]] * [[Divisions of Bangladesh]] * [[Upazila]] == Notes == {{notelist}} == References == {{reflist|30em}} ==External links== * {{Commons-inline}} * {{wikivoyage inline|Dhaka}} * [http://www.rajukdhaka.gov.bd/ Capital Development Authority] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429215814/http://www.rajukdhaka.gov.bd/ |date=29 April 2017 }} * [http://www.dncc.gov.bd/ Dhaka North City Corporation] * [http://dhakasouthcity.gov.bd/ Dhaka South City Corporation] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20170606045741/http://www.dtcb.gov.bd/ Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority] * [http://www.dmp.gov.bd/ Dhaka Metropolitan Police website] * [https://www.britannica.com/place/Dhaka Dhaka History] (at Britannica website) {{Geographic location | Centre = Dhaka City | North = [[Gazipur City]] | Northeast = [[Purbachal New Town]] | East = [[Rupganj Upazila]], [[Narayanganj District]] | Southeast = [[Narayanganj|Narayanganj City]] | South = [[Keraniganj Upazila]], [[Dhaka District]] | Southwest = [[Keraniganj Upazila]], [[Dhaka District]] | West = [[Savar Upazila]], [[Dhaka District]] | Northwest = [[Savar Upazila]], [[Dhaka District]] }} {{Dhaka}} {{Navboxes |title = Articles Related to Dhaka |list = {{Dhakaplaces}} {{Bangladesh cities}} {{List of Asian capitals by region|state=collapsed}} {{World's most populated urban areas}} {{Megacities}} }} {{Subject bar |book= |portal2=Geography |portal3=Bangladesh |portal4=Asia |commons=yes |n=yes |n-search=Category:Dhaka |wikt=yes |b=yes |q=yes |s=yes |v=yes |voy=yes |d=yes }} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Dhaka| ]] [[Category:Capitals in Asia]] [[Category:Populated places in Dhaka Division]] [[Category:Cities in Bangladesh]] [[Category:Articles containing video clips]] [[Category:17th-century BC establishments]] [[Category:Capitals of Bengal]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1608]]
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