Beautiful Bangladesh

Eid-ul-Adha or the "Feast of the Sacrifice" is just around the corner. It's one of the two most important holidays in the Islamic calendar, and Bangladesh being a Muslim populated country, is the subject of major festival. That means one week holiday for me again. I love long holidays especially if I can spend it somewhere else aside from Dhaka and some other ways aside from staying at home. It's fine with me if the trip is not out of the country or even if it is just inside Dhaka or the outskirts of Dhaka, as long as it's a road trip to some place I have never been to. Inside Dhaka, there are still some places I want to check and explore. These places are recommended for its historical, archaeological and architectural aspects. (The following images of the places I want to see are not mine, it's all from google images, kindly click the link for further reference.)

Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection. According to Lonely planet, it's an oasis of calm. While browsing the net, I chanced upon this blog Eye In the Sky, and surprised to know that it's a Philippine site. How I wish I can travel Asia far and wide like her/him and other parts of the world.

Sitara Mosque This mosque is also known as "Star Mosque" and it is in Old Dhaka, near the Armenian Church.

Shat Gombuj Masjid in Bagerhat. It's a 60 Domed Mosque, I want to see the interior in actual. From the images, it looks awesome.

Ahsan Manzil Also known as the Pink Palace, although from the picture it doesn't look like pink but more of a terracotta shade. Ahsan Manzil is one of the most significant architectural monuments and example of the nations rich cultural heritage. It was the home of the Nawab of Dhaka and a silent spectator to many events. Situated on the bank of the river Buriganga in Dhaka and built on a raised platform of 1 metre, the two-storied palace measures 125.4 m by 28.75 m. The height of the ground floor is 5 metres and that of the first floor 5.8 metres. It has been renovated and turned into a museum recently. It has 31 rooms with a huge dome atop which can be seen from miles around. It now has 23 galleries displaying portraits, furniture and household articles and utensils used by the Nawab.

Cristian Cemetery in Narinda: it sounds morbid that you want to check a cemetery but this is a very very old one. According to H, he went there before, and it gives him a creep.

National Martyrs Memorial or Jatiyo Sriti Soudho. A monument for the valour and sacrifice of those killed in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, which brought the independence of Bangladesh from the Pakistan rule.

Outside Dhaka, the Sundarban and the hill tracts of Bandarban, Rangamati are still in my “to-go-list”. Aside from that, I want to go to Dhamrai to check the Brass and metal sculpture cottage industry. Srimangal is also in my list.

There is also Sonargaon, where you can find some ruins of old architecture. "Sonargaon's importance in the pre-Muslim period is borne out by its ancient name of Suvarnagrama (the golden village), from which it is obvious how the Muslim version of the name is derived, as well as by the existence of Langalbandh and Panchamighat, the two traditional holy bathing places of the Hindus, in this tract of land on the west bank of the old Brahmaputra. Sonargaon rose to be the seat of an independent ruler under Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah, and after his fall it was the headquarters of the eastern province of Bengal under the Tughlaqs till 1338. Sonargaon emerged as the capital of an independent Sultanate under Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (1338-1349). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Panam Nagar was developed in a part of medieval Sonargaon." Eye in the Sky has an extensive Sonargaon Tales.

Aside from my own list, there are still lots of things and places that Bangladesh can offer, both for local & foreign tourist. It’s just there for you to discover. You can check this site for more reference. As for me, I want to discover and explore each of them while I’m still here, although there’s a big probability that I will be spending most of my life in this country, I still want to explore the country ASAP.

In my almost 4 years here (I will be celebrating my 4 years this coming November 26th), I’ve been to some places, thanks to my work.

Zia Memorial Museum

Foy's Lake It's an amusement park in a man-made lake.

Cox’s Bazar: Been here thrice, first because we held the company’s Team Building here. It’s nothing compared to Philippines’ beaches but it’s regarded as the longest sea beach in the world and nominated to be included in the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Second, when I went there during 2008’s Eid-il- Fitr holiday and 3rd, a short rush trip after a showroom set-up in chittagong.

view from Himchari
Himchari: Located about 18 km south of Cox’s Bazar along the sea beach, is a nice place for the picnic and film shooting. This picnic spot is famous for its waterfalls. The road to Himchari runs by the open sea on one side and hills on the other which makes the journey to Himchari very attractive. Its another attraction is the Christmas tree.

Shah Jalal Mazar Mosque

image grabbed from google
Bogra It's not the typical tourist spot. Mahasthangarh is the oldest archaeological site of Bangladesh. 'Mahasthan' means a great place. Located at a distance of 18 km. north of Bogra town. I have to go back there because I wasn't able to explore the whole area.

Liberation War Museum: I went to checked this museum to fully understand the concept of our March Campaign

Lalbagh Fort
The fort of Aurangabad, popularly known as the Lalbagh Fort, was built in 1678 AD by the then Viceroy of Bengal Prince Mohammad Azam, son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. The fort has a three storied structure with slender minarets at the South Gate. It has many hidden passages and a mosque of massive structure. Outstanding among the monuments of the Lalbagh Fort are the Tomb of Pari Bibi (Fairy lady) and Audience room and Hummam Khana (bathing place) of Nawab Shaista Khan, now housing a museum. You can check my previous entry regarding Lal Bagh Fort.

Bongo Bazar: can you call it the shopping haven for all export overruns?

Nagori: I went to Nagori last 2009 to attend the St. Anthony’s Feast. It was here where i saw big black pigs. I think they are wild pigs, they look similar to the “Baboy ramo”. In 1695, the church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino was constructed at Nagori, 25 kilometres north-east of Dhaka. This is the new church though.

Kishoreganj: for my mustard field pictures

Shakhari Bazar the area is occupied majorly by Hindus.

Patenga Beach is a sea beach located 14 kilometres south of the port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is near the mouth of the Karnaphuli River. Patenga is a popular tourist spot. The beach is very close to Bangladesh Naval Academy of Bangladesh Navy, and Shah Amanat International Airport. The beach width is narrow and swimming in the seas is not recommended. Part of the seashore is built-up with concrete walls. Also large blocks of stones have been laid out to prevent erosion. During 1990s a host of restaurants and kiosks have sprouted out around the beach area. Lighting of the beach area has enhanced the security aspect of visiting in the night. People rise up early in the morning to witness the beautiful sunrise. (From Wikipedia)

image grabbed from google
Jamuna Bridge
A milestone in the history of modern development of Bangladesh. It is the single largest project Bangladesh has ever implemented. The bridge was constructed on the river Jamuna connecting east and north-western region of the country. The 4.8 km. long bridge was constructed at a cost of US$ 950 million thus creating an uninterrupted surface transport facility from Teknaf, southernmost tip of Bangladesh to Tetulia, the northern tip of Bangladesh. Construction of this bridge ushered a new vista to national integration, economic rejuvenation of the northern region (http://www.parjatan.gov.bd) It's not allowed to stop in the bridge but well, we just have to stop and take a picture of us standing in the bridge.

The National Parliament Building or Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban designed by the famous architect Louis I Kahn. According to Robert McCarter, author of the book Louis I. Kahn, it "is one of the twentieth century's greatest architectural monuments, and is without question Kahn's magnum opus."

Indeed, Bangladesh is a beautiful country. Even Lonely Planet has something good to say about Bangladesh. And I think they are really working on their tourism market, they even came up with this video and improving their airport.How I wish my own country is also working on improving it's Tourism and country branding, starting with the renovation of the international airport.



Now, as for the coming holiday, where am i going? See you next post :-)