ASSIGNMENT

NAME :SHUBHO DEBNATH

STUDENT ID :201932027
ASSIGNMENT NAME: THE EVALUATION OF DHAKA CITY
COURSE NAME : ARCH 2105, BASIC PLANNING
LEVEL-01, TERM- 02 ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT.
History of Dhaka:
Dhaka’s name is said to refer to the dhak tree, once common in the
area, or to Dhakeshwari (“The Hidden Goddess”), whose shrine is
located in the western part of the city. Although the city’s history can
be traced to the 1st millennium CE, the city did not rise to prominence
until the 17th century, when it served as the capital of the
Muslim Mughal dynasty of Bengal province (1608–39 and 1660–
1704). It was the centre of a flourishing sea trade, attracting English,
French, Armenian, Portuguese, and Dutch traders.
Historic buildings of the Muslim period include Lal Bagh fort (1678)
and its tomb of Bibi Pari (died 1684), wife of a governor of Bengal; the
Bara Katra (great caravansary, a building historically used for
sheltering caravans and other travelers; 1664); the Chhota Katra
(small caravansary; 1663); and Husayni Dalan (a religious monument
of the Shīʿite branch of Islam; 1642). Other 17th-century buildings
include the Hindu Dhakeshwari temple and Tejgaon church, built by
the Portuguese.
With the removal of the provincial capital to Murshidabad (1704) and
the weakening of the muslin industry, Dhaka entered a period of
decline. It passed under British control in 1765 and was constituted a
municipality in 1864, but it continued to lose prominence until it was
designated the capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam province (1905–
12). During the early 20th century Dhaka served as a commercial
centre and seat of learning.
Following the end of British
rule, when the region became a
part of Pakistan, it was named
the capital of East Bengal
province (1947) an East
Pakistan (1956). Dhaka suffered
heavy damage during the war of
independence in 1971 but
emerged as the capital of
Bangladesh.
The more credible theory comes
from the source of Rajatarangini
written by a Kashmiri Brahman,
Kalhana. It says the region was
originally known as Dhakka.
The word Dhakka means
watchtower. Bikrampur and Sonargaon—the earlier strongholds of
Bengal rulers were situated nearby. So Dhaka was most likely used as
the watchtower for the fortification purpose.

KAMARUPA KINGDOM

KAMARUPA KINGDOM Kamarupa kingdom, also known as

Pragjyotisa, existed between 350 and 1140 CE. According to the
chronicle of Yogini Tantra, the southern boundary of the kingdom
stretched up to the junction of Brahmaputra River and Shitalakshya
River which covered the Dhaka region.] Pala Empire was the last
dynasty to rule the whole Kamarupa region. During their reign
between the 8th century until the late 11th century, Vikrampur a
region 12 miles from Dhaka, was their capital. The Pala rulers were
Buddhists, but the majority of their subjects were Hindus.

SENA KINGDOME

Sena dynasty's founder, Hemanta Sen, was part of the Pala dynasty
until their empire began to weaken. He usurped power and styled
himself king in 1095 AD. Then largely Hindu community populated
the lower Dhaka region. Still existent localities like Laksmibazar,
Banglabazar, Sutrapur, Jaluanagar, Banianagar, Goal Nagar,
Tantibazar, Shankhari Bazaar, Sutarnagar, Kamarnagar, Patuatuli and
Kumartuli are the examples of settlements of Hindu craftsmen and
professionals in that era. According to popular legend, Dhakeshwari
Temple was built by Ballal Sena, the second Sena ruler. Another
tradition says, there were fifty two bazaars and fifty three streets and
the region acquired the name of "Baunno Bazaar O Teppun Gulli".

SULTANATE PERIOD

Upon arrival of Islam in this region, Turkish and Afghan rulers

reigned the area from the early 14th century until the late 16th
century. An Afghan fort (also known as Old Fort of Dhaka) was built at
that time which was later converted to the present-form of Dhaka
Central Jail in 1820 by the British.] A 17th-century historian, Mirza
Nathan, described the fort in his book Baharistan-i-Ghaybi as
"surrounded by mud walls and the largest and strongest in pre-
Mughal era". In 1412, Shah Ali Baghdadi, a saint arrived in Delhi and
then came to Dhaka where he became a disciple of Shah Bahar of the
Chistia order. His tomb is still at Mirpur on the outskirts of Dhaka.
Binat Bibi Mosque was built in 1454 at Narinda area of Dhaka during
the reign of the Sultan of Bengal, Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (r. 1435-
1459). It is the oldest brick structure that still exists in the city.
According to the inscription found near the present-day Central Jail
area, the gate of Naswallagali Mosque was renovated in 1459. Around
1550 a Portuguese historian, João de Barros, first inserted Dhaka into
the map in his book Decades of Asia).

Dhaka came into the domain of Mughal

Empire during the reign of Emperor
Akbar (r. 1556–1605) after the Battle of
Tukaroi.[16] Dhaka was referred as a
Thana (a military outpost).[17] Dhaka
was situated in Bhati region which
hosted several rebel forces led by Bara-
Bhuiyans Dhaka came into the domain
of Mughal Empire during the reign of
Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605) after the
Battle of Tukaroi.[16] Dhaka was
referred as a Thana (a military outpost).
Dhaka came into the domain of Mughal
Empire during the reign of Emperor
Akbar (r. 1556–1605) after the Battle of
Tukaroi.
MUGHAL PERIOD (RISE OF THE CAPITAL AS BENGAL)
(1620-1756)

Dhaka was referred as a Thana (a military outpost).[17] Dhaka was

situated in Bhati region which hosted several rebel forces led by Bara-
Bhuiyans from mid to late 16th century. After the leader of Bara-
Bhuiyans, Musa Khan, was subdued by Mughal General Islam Khan
Chisti in 1608, Dhaka again went directly under control of Mughals.
The newly appointed subahdar of Bengal Subah, Islam Khan
transferred the capital from Rajmahal to Dhaka in 1610. He also
renamed Dhaka as Jahangirnagar (City of Jahangir) after the Emperor
Jahangir. Due to its location right beside some main river routes,
Dhaka was an important centre for business. The Muslin fabric was
produced and traded in thi area. He successfully crushed the regional
revolts in Jessore, Bakla (present days Barisal) and Bhulua (present
days Noakhali) and brought almost the entire province under the
Mughal domain

As the next subahdar, Prince Shuja built Bara Katra between 1644 and
1646 in Dhaka to serve as his official residence. He also patronised the
building of Hussaini Dalan, a Shia shrine though he himself was a
Sunni.In the late 1640s, for personal and political reasons, he moved
the capital back to Rajmahal. Dhaka became a subordinate station.
Due to political turmoil, Emperor Aurangzeb sent Mir Jumla to deal
with Prince Shuja.He pursued Shuja up to Dhaka and reached the city
on 9 May 1660. But Shuja had already fled to the Arakan region. As
Jumla was ordered to become the next subahdar of Bengal Subah,
Dhaka was again made the capital of the region. He was engaged in
construction activities in Dhaka and its suburbs – two roads, two
bridges and a

network of forts. A fort at Tangi-Jamalpur guarded one of the roads

connecting Dhaka with the northern districts which is now known as
Mymensingh Road. He built Mir Jumla Gate at the northern border to
defend the city from the attacks of Magh pirates. Italian traveller
Niccolao Manucci came to Dhaka in 1662–63. According to him,
Dhaka had a large number of inhabitants compared to the size of the
city.Most of the houses were built of straw. Ther were only two
kuthis – one of the English and the other of the Dutch. Ships were
loaded with fine white cotton and silk fabrics. A largenumber of
Christians and white and black Portuguese resided in Dhaka.

Dhaka's period of glory came to an

end with the shifting of the provincial
capital to Murshidabad in 1717.
Dhaka became the seat of Naib Nazim
(Deputy Governor) and continued to
remain the headquarters of the
Mughal army and navy in eastern
Bengal. However, the increase in the
commercial activities of the European
traders kept the city alive, though
without any further expansion. After
the acquisition of the Diwani in 1765
by the East India Company the decline of the city set in. By 1828 the
city was reduced to a mere district headquarters, though retaining its
position as a provincial Court of Circuit and Appeal. The decline of the
cotton textile trade in the late 18th and early 19th century hastened the
process of decline, and by 1840 this decline reached its nadir. Most of
the former Mughal city had either been deserted or had fallen victim
to the encroaching jungles. Dhaka suffered physical shrinkage; once
populated areas became desolate. The jungle-beset city was shown in a
topographical map prepared in 1859 covering an area only a little over
three miles and a quarter by one and a quarter (map-3). Early colonial
phase the
establishment
of the
Municipal
Committee in
1840 and of the
Dhaka College
in 1841 marked
a new dawn for
Dhaka. Backed
by several
positive forces, the city slowly reemerged turned into a modern place
under the European influence. The second half of the 19th century
marked the beginning of the physical renewal; the city limit did not
expand, but the Mughal city was transformed into a modern city with
metalled roads, open spaces, street lights and piped water-supply.
English Magistrate Charles Dawes started the process in 1825, when
the Ramna area was cleared and the racecourse (now the open green
area of Suhrawardy Udyan) was laid. Russell Skinner (appointed
Magistrate in 1840) further added to the expansion process. The
Arathoons, an Armenian zamindar family, bought land west of the
racecourse (present Atomic Energy Commission and Dhaka
University's TSC) and built a house. Within a short period of time in
the second half of the 19th century the Nawabs of Dhaka developed the
area on the western side of the racecourse and built large building
complex and gardens. The area came to be called Shah Bagh. Besides
Shah Bagh, the nawabs (family of Khwaja Alimullah) developed
Dilkusha and Motijheel area in the north eastern outskirt of the city,
where they build garden-houses as pleasure resorts. Dawes cleared the
area north-east of Nawabpur and transformed it into a cantonment,
which later came to be known as Purana Paltan. The cantonment had
to be removed back to Lalbagh fort in 1853 (due to mosquito menace)
and finally after the Sepoy wars of 1857 it was shifted to the Mill
Barracks at the eastern end of the city on the river bank. The Purana
Paltan area continued to be the practice ground of the sepoys; part of
it was turned into Company's Bagicha or garden and playground. The
development of Dhaka till the last quarter of the 19th century followed
the banks of the river Buriganga where the wealthy citizens built their
magnificent houses like the Ahsan Manjil and the Ruplal House. The
embankment of the northern bank and the construction of a
promenade on it by the energetic Divisional Commissioner C.E
Buckland made the riverfront a picturesque site and the Buckland
Bund a rendezvous of the city's nature lovers (completed in three
phases in the 1880s). The Dhaka Government School, the Mitford
Hospital, the Dhaka Water Works and the St.Thomas Church Complex
are some of the landmarks of the nineteenth century Dhaka. It was
only after the coming of the railways that the river bank gradually lost
its importance and receded to be reckoned as the back of the town. In
the late 19th century the old areas of Narinda and Gandaria in the
eastern and south-eastern part of the city were developed to form new
residential areas. At the same time the Hazaribagh - Nawabganj areas
in the western part of the city were also developed; the former as a
business centre for hides and skin and the latter as a centre for jute
pressing and bailing. The Courts of the District and subordinate judges
and the offices of the Magistrates and Collectors were built in 1866 in
the area opposite St. Thomas Church. Even today they exist on the
same site. In 1885 Frederick
Wyer, the Collector of
Dhaka, developed the Wari
area as a fully planned
residential area for the
upper-middle class with
broad roads and proper
drains. The Narayanganj-
Dhaka-Mymensingh State
railway was opened in 1885-
86; the rail line was laid
almost parallel to the Mughal
road from Tongi through
Tejgaon, Kawranbazar to the
Shah Bagh area, then in
order to save the garden area
it formed a loop around
Ramna and turned towards the east cutting through the Nimtali-
Fulbaria area it turned south towards Fatullah and Narayanganj. The
placement of the railway line gives us an idea about the existence of
the main city in the areas south and west of the loop formed by the
railway line. The Fulbaria area was developed into a complex of the
Railway including the Dhaka railway station. 1905 Partition phase A
break through in the fortunes of Dhaka came in 1905, when Dhaka
was made the capital of the newly formed province of Eastern Bengal
and Assam. 'New Dhaka' emerged, the beginning of which was made
by Lord Curzon in 1904 when he laid the foundation of the Curzon
Hall in the Bagh-i-Badshahi to the northeast of Musa Khan's mosque.
The Ramna area from the Curzon Hall in the south to the Minto Road
in the north and from the Government House, built opposite to the
Curzon Hall a little to the east (Old High Court building), in the east to
the Nilkhet area in the west was developed during the period 1905-
1911 (map-4). The area was adorned with modern European type of
buildings and planned network of metalled roads. The new road going
through the Nilkhet area was named Fuller Road, after the first Lt.-
Governor of the new province, Sir Bampfylde Fuller.
Despite independence, political turmoil continued to plague the
people of Dhaka. The Pakistan Army's operations had killed or
displaced millions of people, and the new state struggled to cope with
the humanitarian challenges. The year 1975 saw the killing of Sheikh
Mujib and three military coups. The city would see the restoration of
order under military rule, but political disorder would heighten in the
mid-1980s with the pro-democracy movement led by the Awami
League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Political and student
strikes and protests routinely disrupted the lives of Dhaka's people.
However, the post-independence period has also seen a massive
growth of the population, attracting migrant workers from rural
areas across Bangladesh. A real estate boom has followed the
development of new settlements such as Gulshan, Banani and
Motijheel. Dhaka hosted the inaugural summit of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (1985), the D8 group summit
(1999) and three South Asian Games events (1985, 1993 and 2010).
In 1982, the English spelling of the city was officially changed from
Dacca to Dhaka.
In 1983, City Corporation was created to govern Dhaka and its
population reached 3,440,147 and it covered an area of 400 square
kilometres. The city was divided into 75 wards. Under the new act in
1993 the first election was held in 1994 and Mohammad Hanif became
the first elected Mayor of Dhaka. In 2011, Dhaka City Corporation was
split into two separate corporations – DCC North and DCC South[64]
and in the 2015 election Annisul Huq and Sayeed Khokon were elected
as the mayors of the respective corporations.
As of 2019, Dhaka has an estimated population of more than 18
million people, making it the largest city in Bangladesh and the 13th
largest city in the world.

THE END