Kabirhat ( bn, কবিরহাট, Kobirhat) is an

upazila An ''upazila'' ( bn, উপজেলা, upôzela, lit=sub-district pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative region in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a ...

of the

Noakhali District Noakhali ( bn, নোয়াখালী, , New canal), historically known as Bhulua ( bn, ভুলুয়া), is a district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in the Chittagong Division. It was established as district in 1821, and officia ...

, located in

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 mos ...

's Chittagong Division. It is named after its administrative centre, the town of Kabirhat, and is the newest upazila of the district.

History

It is said that the independent Sultan

Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah ( bn, ফখরুদ্দীন মুবারক শাহ, fa, ; reigned: 1338–1349), also known simply as Fakhra, was the founder of an independent sultanate comprising modern-day eastern and southeastern Banglad ...

, the first Muslim to conquer Chittagong, was born in Kabirhat. Under the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

in circa 1770, Sheikh Nurullah Chaudhuri and Sheikh Mujirullah Chaudhuri established the three-domed

Ramadan Miah Mosque Ramadan Miah Jame Mosque, or Ramzan Mia Jame Masjid ( bn, রমজান মিয়া জামে মসজিদ, ar, ), and more popularly known as Chowdhury Mosjid ( bn, চৌধুরী মসজিদ), is a mosque in the Noakhali ...

. The antique mosque is located in the village of Dawlat Ramdi in Bataiya Union. The Hoiya Miah Mosque is also a notable three-domed mosque in the area. The Sufi

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

Chhankhola was active in Kabirhat and he was buried in a

mazar (mausoleum) A ''mazār'' ( ar, مزار), or ''darīh'' () in the Maghreb, is a mausoleum or shrine in some places of the world, typically that of a saint or notable religious leader. Medieval Arabic texts may also use the words ''mašhad'' or ''maqām'' ...

in Narottampur. The Kabirhat Madrasa was established in 1905. In circa 1895, a prominent businessman of Ward 2 by the name of Kabir Patwari opened a shop near his house yard. He later extended his shop further north to meet the needs of the people of the area. A

haat bazaar Haat or hat, even haat bazaar, is an open-air market that serves as a trading venue for local people in rural areas and towns of Indian subcontinent, especially in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Haat bazaars are conducted on a regular ba ...

was eventually established and every Friday and Tuesday, the people of the area start coming there for their daily necessities. In this way, the market came to be known as Kabir-Hat. Kabir Patwary Jami Mosque in Ghoshbagh is a notable mosque in the area too. The 1970 Bhola cyclone heavily affected Kabirhat in every sector. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the local

Razakars Razakar (رضا کار) is etymologically an Arabic word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword. On the other hand, in Bangladesh, razakar is a pejorative word meaning a traitor or Judas. In Pakista ...

established a camp at the Kabirhat High School. The school was used a slaughter place and a ditch was dug on the eastern part of the high school. The Pakistan Army and the Razakars plundered Company Hat and set fire to houses in the village of Alipur in Ghoshbagh on 27 September. On 17 October, the Bengali freedom fighters raided Razakar Jalil's house, killing him and his associates. Kabirhat suffered from another cyclone in 1991. On 6 August 2006, the Kabirhat Upazila (sub-district) was formed from some unions of

Noakhali Sadar Upazila Noakhali Sadar ( bn, নোয়াখালি সদর) is an upazila of Noakhali District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Noakhali Thana was established in 1861 and was converted into an upazila in 1984. The upazila takes its name f ...

Geography

Kabirhat Upazila has an area of . It borders Begumganj and Senbagh upazilas to the north, Companiganj Upazila to the east and south, and

to the west. The Noakhali Canal flows north through the upazila.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Kabirhat Upazila had 36,054 households and a population of 196,944, 8.8% of whom lived in urban areas. 12.4% of the population was under age 5. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 49.0%, compared to the national average of 51.8%.

Administration

Kabirhat Upazila is divided into Kabirhat Municipality and seven

union parishad Union council ( bn, ইউনিয়ন পরিষদ, translit=iūniyan pariṣad, translit-std=IAST), also known as union parishad, rural council, rural union and simply union, is the smallest rural administrative and local government unit ...

s: Batiaya, Chap Rashirhat, Dhan Shalik, Dhan Siri, Ghoshbagh, Narottampur, and Sundalpur. The union parishads are subdivided into 68 mauzas and 68 villages. Kabirhat Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 11

mahalla is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations. History Historically, mahallas were autonomous social i ...

Education

Kabirhat Government College and Chaprashir Hat College are there. Chaprashirhat high school is the pioneer school in Kabirhat and was rewarded by Upazila and District Education office. Fazil Madrasha is one of the oldest Madrassas of the country. It was formally established in 1901, but began operating after 1880.

Notable people

* Abdus Shakur, litterateur *

, independent Sultan of Sonargaon *

Rumman Bin Wali Sabbir Syed Rumman Bin Wali Sabbir ( bn, সাব্বির), is a Bangladeshi former footballer. He played for Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) in the Dhaka domestic league during the 1980s and 1990s. He made several appearances for the Bangladesh ...

, footballer

References

{{Upazilas of Chittagong Division Kabirhat Upazila