Rayer Bazaar is a well-known thoroughfare in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, the capital city of

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 ...

. It is generally regarded as one of the historical areas of the city. Rayer Bazaar was founded during the colonial period most probably in the 19th century. It was the potters who first started to live here beside the

Turag River Turag River ( bn, তুরাগ নদী; ) is the upper tributary of the Buriganga, a major river in Bangladesh. The Turag originates from the Bangshi River, the latter an important ''tributary'' of the Dhaleshwari River, flows through Ga ...

. This Place was most probably named after someone titled Ray. It was easy to find the clays used to make pots in this area and spread it around by boats as it was situated near the river.

Address

Rayer Bazaar Bodhdhobhumi is located in Mohammadpur near Beribadh area in Dhaka District. This area is mainly an extension of the Turag River. The

Martyred Intellectuals Memorial Martyred Intellectuals Memorial ( bn, শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী স্মৃতিসৌধ) is a built in memory of the martyred intellectuals of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The memorial is located at Rayerbazar, Mohammad ...

was established here on 14 December 1996 by daughter of Bangabandhu Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Its completed in 1999.

History

During the Mughal period this place was famous for

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

and most of the potters of this region used to live in Rayer Bazar, because the famous ''laal mati (লাল মাটি)'' (

Red Clay Ultisols, commonly known as red clay soils, are one of twelve soil orders in the United States Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy. The word "Ultisol" is derived from "ultimate", because Ultisols were seen as the ultimate product of continu ...

) was available in this place a lot. During the Mughal and British Colonial period, the red clay was not available in the neighbourhoods. As a result, the Potters of Rayer Bazar have a long tradition of working with this red clay. According to Dr. Wise, this place was known as "Kumartoli" during the Mughal period. In the night of 14 December 1971, many of Bangladesh's intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artists, engineers, and writers were rounded up in Dhaka. They were taken blindfolded to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different sections of the city. Later they were executed and thrown out in the swamps, at Rayerbazar.

Martyred Intellectuals Memorial

In memory of the martyred intellectuals of 1971, a Memorial is created in there. The '

Al-Badr Al Badr is a village in Mecca Province, in western Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making ...

' and '

Al-Shams Al-Shams is the Arabic word for "the sun" () and may refer to: * Ash-Shams, the 91st Sura of the Quran * Shamash, the Semitic Sun god * Ain Shams University, a university located in Cairo, Egypt * Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Golan Heights (Mi ...

' Group helped the West Pakistan Army to locate the intellectuals and slaughtered them and many other innocent peoples at night. After the massacre they brought the corpses and left them into the swamps of Rayer Bazaar. After the Liberation War, the people of Dhaka found out that all the dead bodies of many great intellectuals and innocent people are piled up in here." Martyred Intellectuals Memorial is the memorial built for the memory of the martyred intellectuals of 1971. The memorial is built in the Boddhobhumi at Rayer Bazaar.Muntasir Mamun, Dhaka: Smriti Bismritir Nogory, Volume-2, Pg- 196, Annana Publications. File:RayerBazar BoddhyoBhumi (2).jpg, Rayer Bazaar Bodhdhobhumi Smritishoudho File:RayerBazar BoddhyoBhumi (3).jpg, Rayer Bazaar Bodhdhobhumi Smritishoudho File:RayerBazar BoddhyoBhumi (4).jpg, Rayer Bazaar Bodhdhobhumi Smritishoudho File:Martyr's intellectual monument at Rayerbazar.jpg, Martyr's intellectual monument rayer bazar

Present condition

Rayer Bazaar has become a densely populated area at present. The area is heavily polluted and living standard is very much low in this area. "The old pottery tradition is almost over. We can hardly find two or three potters in here". The tannery at Hajaribaag near the Rayer Bazaar Boddhobhumi is one of the main reasons for polluting the area. The overgrowth of population has even created severe water problem in this area. File:Present condition at Rayer Bazaar.jpg, Present condition at Rayer Bazaar File:Present condition at Rayer Bazaar2.jpg, Present condition at Rayer Bazaar

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Historical places
National Tourism Organisation, Govt. of Bangladesh. Dhaka