Dhaka District ( bn, ঢাকা জেলা, Dhaka jela) is a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
in central
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
,
and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the
Dhaka Division
Dhaka Division ( bn, ঢাকা বিভাগ, ''Ḑhaka Bibhag'') is an administrative division within Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of the Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains a populati ...
.
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest ...
, the capital of Bangladesh, and rests on the eastern banks of the
Buriganga River which flows from the
Turag to the southern part of the district. While Dhaka (city corporation) occupies only about a fifth of the area of Dhaka district, it is the economic, political and cultural centre of the district and the country as a whole. Dhaka District consists with Dhaka,
Keraniganj , Nababganj, Dohar, Savar and Dhamrai upazila. Dhaka District is an administrative entity, and like many other cities it does not cover the modern
conurbation which is
Greater Dhaka, which has spilled into neighbouring districts, nor does the conurbation cover the whole district, as there are rural areas within the district.
Geography
Dhaka District shares borders with
Gazipur and
Tangail
Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল, ), is a major city within the Dhaka Division in central Bangladesh. It sits on the bank of the Louhajang River, north-west of Dhaka, the nation's capital. It is considered to be the main urban area o ...
to the north,
Munshiganj
Munshiganj ( bn, মুন্সীগঞ্জ), also historically known as Bikrampur, is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division and borders Dhaka District.
Geography
Total land area is 235974 acres (954 km2), ...
and
Rajbari to the south,
Narayanganj to the east and
Manikganj
Manikganj is a district situated in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Manikganj is one of the green and pollution free towns in Bangladesh. The recent urbanization and highway built joining Dhaka and Shingair Upazilla has given it an outstanding roadv ...
to the west. Main rivers flowing through this district are
Padma,
Kaliganga,
Dhaleshwari,
Ichamati,
Shitalakshya,
Buriganga
The Buriganga River ( bn, বুড়িগঙ্গা, ''Buŗigônga'', ) is a river in Bangladesh which flows past the southwest outskirts of the capital city, Dhaka. Its average depth is and its maximum depth is . It ranks among the most p ...
and numerous smaller rivers including
Bangshi,
Turag,
Balu,
Elamjani, Alam, Bherujkha, Ramkrishnadi, Elisamari, Tulsikhali. Major lakes ("beels") include Belai, Saldaher, Labandaher, Churain, Damsharan and Kiranjir Beel. The annual average temperature of the district is maximum 34.5 °C, minimum 11.5 °C; the average annual rainfall 1931mm.
History
The administrative Dhaka District was first established in 1772, but the existence of urbanised settlements in the area that is now Dhaka city – dates from the 7th century. The present day
Savar was the capital of the Sanbagh Kingdom during seventh and eighth century. The city area of Dhaka was ruled by the
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
kingdom of
Kamarupa
Kamarupa (; also called Pragjyotisha or Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa), an early state during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, was (along with Davaka) the first historical kingdom of Assam.
Though Kamarupa prevailed from 350 to 11 ...
and the
Pala Empire before passing to the control of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Sena dynasty in the 9th century. Many believe that the name of the city was derived after the establishment of the Goddess
Dhakeshwari's temple by
Ballal Sena in the 12th century. Dhaka and its surrounding area was identified as ''Bengalla'' around that period. The town itself consisted of a few market centres like Lakshmi Bazar, Shankhari Bazar, Tanti Bazar, Patuatuli, Kumartuli, Bania Nagar and Goal Nagar. After the Sena dynasty, Dhaka was successively ruled by the
Turkish and
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
**Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pash ...
governors descending from the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). before the arrival of the
Mughals in 1608.
The development of townships and a significant growth in population came as the city was proclaimed the capital of
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
under
Mughal rule in 1608. During Mughal rule the areas currently under Dhaka district was famous for its textile products – especially the
Muslin
Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured.
Muslin of uncommonly delicate hands ...
. Mughal
subahdar Islam Khan was the first administrator of the city. Khan named the town "Jahangir Nagar" (''City of Jahangir'') in honour of the Mughal emperor
Jahangir, although this name was dropped soon after Jahangir's death. The main expansion of the city took place under Mughal general
Shaista Khan. The city then measured , with a population of nearly a million people. The city passed to the control of the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
in 1757 after the
Battle of Plassey and eventually to the
Crown,
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
, in 1765 at the
Battle of Buxar. The city's population shrank dramatically during this period as the prominence of
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
rose, but substantive development and modernisation eventually followed. A modern civic water supply system was introduced in 1874 and electricity supply launched in 1878. The
Dhaka Cantonment
Dhaka Cantonment ( bn, ঢাকা সেনানিবাস) is a cantonment located in the northern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The headquarters of the Bangladesh Army, and Air Force are situated within the cantonment which combined form the ...
was established near the city, serving as a base for
British and Indian soldiers.
During the abortive
Partition of Bengal in 1905, Dhaka was declared to be the capital of the newly established state of
Eastern Bengal and Assam, but Bengal was reunited in 1911. The rural areas under present Dhaka district, especially
Dohar Upazila
Dohar ( bn, দোহার) is an upazila of Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The upazila is situated in the southernmost part of Dhaka District. The Padma River borders the southern part of the upazila.
History
During the Br ...
were used for the production of
indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', ...
.
Following the partition of Bengal in (1947) appending the partition of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
in 1947, Dhaka became the capital of
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = Ea ...
as a part of the new
Muslim state of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, while western part of Bengal with a majority Hindu population had become a part of the new and independent India, designated as
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
with
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
as state capital. Calcutta witnessed communal violence that left thousands of people dead. A large proportion of the city's
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
population departed for
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, while the city received hundreds of thousands of
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
immigrants from Calcutta, India. The city's population rose dramatically in a very short period of time, which created severe shortages and infrastructural problems.
As the centre of regional politics, Dhaka saw an increasing number of political strikes and incidents of violence. The adoption of
as the sole
official language
An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
led to protest marches involving large crowds. Known as the
language movement of 1952, the protests resulted in police firing which killed students who were demonstrating peacefully.
Throughout the 1950s and '60s, Dhaka remained a hotbed of political activity, and the demands for autonomy for the Bengali population gradually gained momentum.
The
1970 Bhola cyclone
The 1970 Bhola cyclone (Also known as the Great Cyclone of 1970) was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on November 11, 1970. It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever re ...
devastated much of the region, killing an estimated 500,000 people. More than half the city of Dhaka was flooded and millions of people marooned. With public anger growing against ethnic discrimination and poor cyclone relief efforts from the central government, Bengali politician
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman held a nationalist rally on 7 March 1971 at the
Race Course Ground. An estimated one million people attended the gathering, leading to
Ziaur Rahman
Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup ...
's 26 March declaration of Bangladesh's independence.
In response, the
Pakistan Army launched
Operation Searchlight, which led to the arrests, torture and killing of hundreds of thousands of people, mainly Hindus and
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
intellectuals.
[Blood, Archer, , Department of State, United States]
During the
Bangladesh Liberation War the
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
army arrested and killed fourteen
Muktijoddhas from
Dhamrai Bazar. A mass grave created during the war still exists in the western side of Kalampur Bazar.
The Pak army also burnt down many houses in Konakhola, Basta, Brahmankirtha, Goalkhali and Khagail Kholamora villages of
Keraniganj Upazila.
The fall of Dhaka city to the allied forces led by
Jagjit Singh Aurora
Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora (also Jagjit Singh Aurora)Both spellings are used in official documents; though "Aurora" predominates in the listings in the pre-Independence ''Indian Army List'', as do those in the ''Gazette of India''. ...
on 16 December marked the surrender of the Pakistani army. The post-independence period has seen a rapid and massive growth of the city population, attracting migrant workers from rural areas across Bangladesh.
A real estate boom followed with
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
and the development of new settlements such as
Gulshan,
Banani and
Motijheel
Motijheel ( bn, মতিঝিল) is a ''thana'' (administrative division) of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is at the heart of the city (the General Post Office is considered the zero point of Dhaka). Motijheel is the major business and commercial hu ...
.
Administration
* Administrator of Zila Parishad: Mr. Md Mahbubur Rahman
* Deputy Commissioner (DC): Md. Shahidul Islam
Subdivisions
The district does not cover all parts of Greater Dhaka, and Greater Dhaka does not include all parts of the district, which includes rural areas. The district consists of 46 upazilas/thanas, 86 unions, 974 mauzas, 1999 villages, 2 City Corporations, 129 City Wards, 855 City Mahallas, 3 paurashavas, 27 wards and 133 mahallas.
The five upazilas in Dhaka district are:
*
Dhamrai Upazila, suburban and rural
*
Dohar Upazila
Dohar ( bn, দোহার) is an upazila of Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The upazila is situated in the southernmost part of Dhaka District. The Padma River borders the southern part of the upazila.
History
During the Br ...
, suburban and rural
*
Keraniganj Upazila, suburban
*
Nawabganj Upazila, suburban and rural
*
Savar Upazila, suburban
The municipal area of Dhaka city is under the jurisdiction of the
Dhaka North City Corporation
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) or Dhaka Uttar City Corporation was created as an autonomous body that governs 54 northern wards of Dhaka to better manage local services, but has since added new areas. It is one of two municipal corporation ...
and
Dhaka South City Corporation
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is one of the two municipal corporations in Dhaka created when the former Dhaka City Corporation (first declared in 1864) was divided into two by the Local Government (City Corporation) Amendment Bill 2011 on ...
; for administrative purposes, the municipal area is divided into 92 wards.
Tejgaon Development Circle is merged with the two city corporations.
Demographics
According to the
2011 Bangladesh census, Dhaka District had a population of 12,043,977, of which 6,555,792 were males and 5,488,185 were females. Rural population was 2,726,934 (22.64%) while urban population was 9,317,043 (77.36%). Dhaka had a literacy rate 70.54% for the population 7 years and above: 73.56% for males and 66.86% for females.
Religion
Islam is the largest religion in Dhaka district with 94.65% of the population. Hinduism is the second-largest religion with 4.70% of the population. 0.52% of the population were Christians, while Buddhists, once the major religion in the district, were only 0.11% of the population. Although all communities are predominantly urban, a greater percentage of Hindus live in rural areas than other communities. The district of Dhaka has more than 12 000 mosques, 3012 Hindu mandirs, 530 churches, 174
Buddhist temples, three pagodas and a synagogue. For a long time, Islam has been the majority religion in Dhaka, with only 1300 mosques, but more mosques were recently built, and the district is now called the City of Mosques.
Economy
Dhaka is the commercial heart of Bangladesh.
The city has a large middle class population, increasing the market for modern consumer and luxury goods.
Many skilled workers are employed in the businesses and industries located in the Dhaka metropolitan area. The city has historically attracted many migrant workers.
Hawkers, peddlers, small shops, rickshaws transport, roadside vendors and stalls employ a large segment of the population
– rickshaw-drivers alone number as many as 400,000.
Half the workforce is employed in household and unorganised labour, while about 800,000 work in the textile industry. Even so, unemployment remains high at 23%. According to ''CityMayors Statistics'', Dhaka's GDP registered at $52 billion in 2005 with an annual growth rate of 6.1%.
Its estimated GDP in the year 2020 is $126 billion. The annual per capita income of Dhaka is estimated at $550, although a large segment of the population lives below the poverty line, with many surviving on less than $3 a day.
The main business districts of the city include
Motijheel
Motijheel ( bn, মতিঝিল) is a ''thana'' (administrative division) of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is at the heart of the city (the General Post Office is considered the zero point of Dhaka). Motijheel is the major business and commercial hu ...
,
Panthapath and
Gulshan.
Bashundhara City is a recently developed economic area that houses many high-tech industries and corporations and a shopping mall that is one of the largest in Southeast Asia, frequented daily by more than 25,000 people.
The
Export Processing Zone in Dhaka was set up to encourage the export of garments, textiles and other goods. The EPZ is home to 80 factories, which employ mostly women.
The
Dhaka Stock Exchange is based in the city, as are most of the large companies and banks of Bangladesh, including the
Bangladesh Bank,
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tr ...
,
Citibank and the
Grameen Bank. Urban developments have sparked a widespread construction boom, causing new high-rise buildings and skyscrapers to change the city landscape.
Growth has been especially strong in the finance, banking, manufacturing,
telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...
and services sectors, while tourism, hotels and restaurants continue as important elements of the Dhaka economy.
Places of interest
The historic city of Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and lies on the banks of the
Buriganga
The Buriganga River ( bn, বুড়িগঙ্গা, ''Buŗigônga'', ) is a river in Bangladesh which flows past the southwest outskirts of the capital city, Dhaka. Its average depth is and its maximum depth is . It ranks among the most p ...
River in the central area of Bangladesh. The old town of Dhaka, south of the city centre, is the site of most of the tourist attractions, including the
Lalbagh Fort, the Stat Mosque, and the
Ahsan Manzil Palace Museum.
Dhaka was predominantly a city of the
Mughals, whose governors and viceroys built several palace, mosques and katrias. Dhaka's finest specimen of this time is the Aurangabad Fort, commonly known as Lalbagh Fort, incomplete but well worth for visit. Also in this area of Dhaka is the spectacular Ahsan Manzil Plance Museum, the
Bara Katra, the Cotta Katra and several mosques of note.
The old European quarter lies just north of Dhaka's old town, which houses the presidential place and the National Museum, Dhaka's commercial and diplomatic regions are north-east of this zone. Dhaka Zoo and the Botanical Gardens are a short taxi ride into the suburbs.
Once famed for its
Muslin
Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured.
Muslin of uncommonly delicate hands ...
, Dhaka is now renowned for pink
pearls and a rich tradition of
handicrafts. Shoppers can find lower prices of gold and silver products, and the Dhaka shopping areas of New market and Elephant road and
Dhanmondi are good for shopping.
The
Botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
is a park at
Mirpur in Dhaka.It contains various species of plants. It is also a major tourist spot.
Lalbagh Fort
Built in 1678 by the Viceroy of Bengal, it contains a three-domed mosque, the tomb of Pari Bibi, the reputed daughter of Nawab Shaista Khan, the Audience Hall and the hammam of the Governor. Four Kilometres from the hotel.
Ahsan Manzil Palace Museum
A majestic place, it was once home to the
Nawab of Dhaka, and houses 23 galleries displaying portraits, furniture and household articles.
Jatiyo Smriti Soudho
Jatiyo Smriti Soudho
The National Martyrs' Memorial ( bn, জাতীয় স্মৃতিসৌধ ''Jatiyo Sriti Soudho'') is the national monument of Bangladesh, set up in the memory of those who died in the Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, which bro ...
or National Martyrs' Memorial is a monument in Bangladesh. It is the symbol of the valour and the sacrifice of the martyrs of the
Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which brought the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistani rule. The monument is located in Savar, about 35 Kilometres north-west of the capital, Dhaka.
Tara Mosque
A 200-year-old mosque with five domes, with hundreds of twinkling stars on its surface.
Satmasjid
This mosque in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka is known for its seven domes.
National Museum
In the old European quarter of Dhaka, the museum contains many interesting collections, including sculptures and paintings of the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim periods. One kilometre from the hotel.
Bara Katra
Bara Katra was built between 1644 and 1646 CE to be the official residence of Mughal prince
Shah Shuja Shāh Shujā' ( fa, شاه شجاع, meaning: ''brave king'') may refer to the following:
* Shah Shoja Mozaffari, the 14th-century Muzaffarid ruler of Southern Iran
*Shah Shuja (Mughal prince) (1616-1661), the second son of Shah Jahan
*Shah Shujah ...
, the second son of emperor
Shah Jahan. The prince endowed it to his ''
diwan'' and the builder of the serai, Abul Qasim.
See also
*
Districts of Bangladesh
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Districts and regions of Greater Dhaka
Districts of Bangladesh
Districts of Bangladesh established before 1971