Dhaka is the capital as well as biggest city in Bangladesh. This bustling metropolis is home to 13 million people, making it one of the biggest cities in South Asia and one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
The modern city of Dhaka was built by the British over the ancient city of the Mughals which was known as Jahangir Nagar. Under the British it was the second biggest city in Bengal after Calcutta (now Kolkata).
View of a heavily congested street in Dhaka Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dhakarushhour_%2854%29.JPG Author: Soman
Dhaka is one of the cities where the income disparity between the rich minority and the poor majority is glaringly obvious. With some 400,000 cycle rickshaws, Dhaka is acknowledged as the "Rickshaw Capital of the World". The city experiences a tropical climate. The summers, from April to August, can be stiflingly hot. Visitors from temperate countries will find the weather more comfortable in winter, between October to March, when the temperature is around 20°C.
The main international gateway is the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, served by Thai Airways, GMG Airlines and Dragon Air. Budget travelers can take AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur.
Travel within Dhaka
Dhaka is a very congested city with rickshaws and pedestrians everywhere you look. You can naturally cover certain distances on foot, but to go place to place, getting some form of transportation is more practical.
The cycle rickshaw is the most ubiquitous form of transportation. As a foreigner, you should negotiate carefully before boarding to avoid getting fleeced. Women travelers should also avoid traveling about alone at night.
In addition to the cycle rickshaws, there are also auto-rickshaws which gets you places faster. They are the preferred form of transport for distances not practical for cycle rickshaws. They run by meter, and the flag fall rate is Tk 13.50.
Curzon Hall, Dhaka Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corner_view_of_Curzon_Hall_DU.JPG Author: Mir Mahadi Hassan
Places of Interest in Dhaka
1857 Memorial Memorial commemorating martyrs of the first liberation war of 1857-59.
Ahsan Manjil The pink palace, with exhibition area and garden.
Baitul Mukarram-National Mosque One of the major mosques of Dhaka, built in 1962.
Baldha Garden Garden with many indigenous and exotic plants established in 1904.
Banga Bhaban Official residence of the President of Bangladesh, not opened to the public, but can be viewed from the outside.
Curzon Hall Colonial style building named after Lord Curzon, today housing the Science Faculty of the University of Dhaka.
Dhakeshwari Temple Hindu temple established in the 11th century.
Lalbagh Fort Fort built in 1678 by Prince Mohammad Azam, the son of Mughal emperor Aurangazeb.
National Memorial Memorial commemorating those who died in the war of liberation.
Pari Bibi's Tomb Mausoleum with Lalbagh Fort.
Parliament House of Bangladesh Also called Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, a distinctive building by a famous architect.
Sonargaon A town about 29 km from Dhaka which was an old capital of Bengal during the 13th century.
Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.
Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.