Saidpur () is a city of
Nilphamari district in
Rangpur Division
Rangpur Division (; ;
) is a first-level Divisions of Bangladesh, administrative division of Bangladesh. It covers the northernmost part of the country with a population of about 18 million inhabitants within an area of . Rangpur Division shar ...
of Bangladesh.Around 144,000 people live here which makes this city the largest in Nilphamari District and
33rd largest city in Bangladesh. The city has become a very important communication hub for ad-joining major district headquarters.
Saidpur Airport is one of the domestic airports in Bangladesh. The Syedpur Railway Workshop, established in 1870, is the largest in Bangladesh and was the major railway workshop for Assam-Bengal railway.
Historically, the city has a large
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
-speaking community with close ties to
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
.
History
The city of Saidpur was established around the
Saidpur Railway Workshop, established in 1870 by the British Colonial regime. Nothing is known about the origin of the upazila's name. It is learned that in the long past there came a
Syed
Syed may refer to:
* Seyd, alternative for Sayyid (name)
* Alternative for Sayyid, an honorific title
* Ahsan Ali Syed (born 1973), Indian businessman
* Ghulam Murtaza Syed (1904-1995), prominent Sindhi politician
* Ibrahim Bijli Syed (born 1939) ...
family from
Koch Bihar of India and settled in this area and started preaching Islam. It is generally believed that the Upazila might have derived its name, Saidpur, from the name of that
Syed
Syed may refer to:
* Seyd, alternative for Sayyid (name)
* Alternative for Sayyid, an honorific title
* Ahsan Ali Syed (born 1973), Indian businessman
* Ghulam Murtaza Syed (1904-1995), prominent Sindhi politician
* Ibrahim Bijli Syed (born 1939) ...
family. Saidpur became Thana in 1915.
Administration
The municipality of Saidpur was incorporated in 1958. The city is divided into 15 wards and 43 mahallas. A municipality mayor is elected every 5 years.
Demographics
The city has a population of 127,104 in 26,333 households. Saidpur has a sex ratio of 953 females to 1000 males and a literacy rate of 63.9%.
Economy
The city is the commercial hub for the surrounding districts. The biggest
railway workshop
Railway workshops are railway facilities in which rolling stock is repaired. While often colocated with engine sheds to perform routine tasks as well as major repairs, in some countries separated concepts exist with ''railway workshops'' bei ...
of Bangladesh is here. Some have stated that "the city never sleeps" and it is also known as the "city of night". Business always runs here night and day. The city centre has many government and private banks, insurance companies, residential hotels, Chinese and Indian restaurants, fast food, sweet shops, gift shops, and many more. It is an important economic zone in Bangladesh. Recently local businessmen have invested in the ready-made garments sector, and they have succeeded in capturing a good market position in India, Nepal, Bhutan. With the help and initiative taken by the SME Foundation, these garments are now exporting their goods in Europe, United States, etc. Some medium and heavy industries are growing here, especially the agricultural industry, crockery, organic fertilizer, oil from recycled tires, light metal industry, etc. There are also some good markets and shopping malls here. Communication is so good here to run a business. The pottery is also very beautiful and unique. It has captured a good market nationally and internationally. There are 24 private and government banks in Saidpur – most of them have online banking facilities. There are a huge number of ATM booths in the city and near it to facilitate online transactions 24/7.
Historical monuments and culture
Notable historical or cultural monuments are
Chini Mosque (1863) at Islambagh, Nat Settlement Prison (1871) at Natun Babu Para, Martuza Institute (1882) near Saidpur railway station, Saidpur Church (1893), Christian Church of Bangladesh (1906). The city has an officers' club and two other clubs and institutes where the city's various dramas and musicals take place. There is also a 150(appx.)-a year-old cultural club called
Silpo Sahitto Shongshod. Every year people celebrate
Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide becaus ...
,
Eid-al-Adha, Bengali New Year (
Pohela Baishakh), English New Year, etc. with enthusiasm and festiveness. Nightlife in this city is very festive; the city markets hardly sleep at night.
Language
The official and academic language of the city is Modern Standard Bengali
that serves as the ''
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...
'' of the nation, with 98% of Bangladeshis being fluent in Bengali as their
first language
A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...
. However, Bangali community in the city use
Rangpuri or Rangpurya dialect, especially the pronunciation of /r/ replaced by /O/ i.e. "অক্ত" instead of "রক্ত" meaning blood in Bengali.
All the Bihari people in the city use
Hindi–Urdu as their mother tongue which is noticeable and influential in this city of Bangladesh, where Biharis form around half the population. The language dialect of the non-Bengali-speaking people of the region is slightly different from the modern standard Urdu or Hindi language trending toward
Bihari languages
Bihari languages are a group of the Indo-Aryan languages. The Bihari languages are mainly spoken in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, and also in Nepal.Brass, Paul R. (1974). ''Language, Religion and Politi ...
. In some traditional wedding of non-Bengali origin, women sing folk songs in Bihari languages particularly in
Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri may refer to:
* Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal
* Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language
* Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language
* Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language
* Bhojpuri region ...
,
Magahi
Magahi (), also known as Magadhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai region of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name de ...
,
Awadhi and
Maithili. Bihari Hindu people in Saidpur use mostly Bhojpuri among themselves. The use of Urdu may be noticeable in some parts of the market, in local announcements, Urdu musaharati
Na'at during Ramadan
sehri and
Mushaira programs. However, these Hindustani languages are not constitutionally recognized official languages in Bangladesh as for other
Indigenous peoples in Bangladesh. However, according to the constitution law (article 23A Act XIV of 2011 section 14),
he State shall take steps to protect and develop the unique local culture and tradition of the tribes, minor races, ethnic sects, and communities.giving the right of people of minorities to practice their culture and tradition.
Geography and climate
Saidpur is located in the
Rangpur Division
Rangpur Division (; ;
) is a first-level Divisions of Bangladesh, administrative division of Bangladesh. It covers the northernmost part of the country with a population of about 18 million inhabitants within an area of . Rangpur Division shar ...
at Northern Bangladesh. The elevation of Saidpur is 40 meters. Most of the city and its surrounding area is made of
Alluvium
Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
Flood plain. The river Khrkharia flows near the city.
The city of Saidpur has a
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
influenced
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(''Cwa''). There are four seasons in Saidpur- A hot and Humid Summer (March–May), rainy and severe monsoon season (June–September), Short and relatively dry Autumn or post Monsoon season (October–November) and a mild, pleasant Winter (December–February).
Education
The city is famous for its educational institutions. Some renowned institutions of this city are
Saidpur Govt. Science College,
Bangladesh Railway Govt. School,
Saidpur Cantonment Public School and College,
Lions school and college, Saidpur,
Sunflower School and College,
Al-Faruque Academy,
Saidpur Government College,
Saidpur Adarsha Girls School and College,
Cantonment Board High School, Saidpur,
International School, Saidpur. Besides those, there are 9 more colleges and more than 50 secondary and primary schools in the city. The city has three colleges that offer undergraduate and degree courses under
Bangladesh National University
National University (NU; ) is a public collegiate university of Bangladesh that was established in 1992 by an Act of Parliament as an affiliating university of the country to impart graduate and post-graduate level education to students through ...
. In recent, four or five schools, as well as colleges, become top on the merit list of
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dinajpur
The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dinajpur, Bangladesh an autonomous organization, mainly responsible for holding three public examinations (Junior School Certificate (JSC), Secondary School Certificate (SSC), and Higher Seco ...
.
It has one of the major university co-ordinated by
Bangladesh Army
The Bangladesh Army () is the land warfare branch, and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to defend the land of Bangladesh from any external attack. Control of personnel and operations is ad ...
named
Bangladesh Army University of Science and Technology (BAUST).
Transport

The city is well connected to the country's major cities by railway, bus highways, and airways.
Saidpur Airport is the only airport in Rangpur Division. The services of
Biman Bangladesh,
Regent Airways, and
Novoair are available on Saidpur Airport. There are many intercity train services from Saidpur to the capital city
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; , ), 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. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
,
Rajshahi
Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...
,
Khulna
Khulna (, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of the Khulna District and the Khulna Division. It is the divisional centre of 10 districts of the division. Khulna is also the seco ...
and other divisions every day. The
Nilshagor Express enhanced train transportation. There are more than 650 buses from Saidpur to Dhaka or Chittagong or other big cities. It is a very important commercial city of Bangladesh.
Sports
There are two big sports stadiums and playgrounds are available to meet the city's sports-loving people. Many divisional and district level cricket, football, festival sports take place during the year.
See also
*
Upazilas of Bangladesh
An ''upazila'' ( pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative division in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a districts of Bangladesh, district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a borough of Western count ...
*
Districts of Bangladesh
The divisions of Bangladesh, divisions of Bangladesh are further divided into districts or (). The headquarters of a district is called the district seat (). There are 64 districts in Bangladesh. The districts are further subdivided into 495 s ...
*
Divisions of Bangladesh
Divisions are the first-level administrative divisions in Bangladesh. As of 2024, there are eight divisions of Bangladesh, each named after the major city within its jurisdiction that also serves as the administrative seat of that division. Eac ...
*
Upazila
An ''upazila'' ( pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative division in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a borough of Western countries. Rural upazilas ...
*
Thana
Thana means " station" or "place" in South Asian countries. The word ''thana'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''sthana'' or "sthanak", meaning "place" or "stand", which was anglicized as ''thana'' by the British.
* Thanas of Bangladesh, forme ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Rangpur Division
Saidpur Upazila