Tourism in Bangladesh

Cox's Bazar

Beach restaurant at Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar (Bengali: কক্সবাজার Kaksbajar) is a seaside town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide and long sandy beach, which is considered by many as the world's longest natural sandy sea beach.^[3][5] The beach in Cox's Bazar is an unbroken 125 kilometres (78 mi) sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 152 kilometres (94 mi) south of the Chittagong Seaport. Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, whose literal translation means "yellow flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee".

St. Martin's Island

Dead corals at St. Martin's Island

St. Martin's Island (Bengali: সেন্ট মার্টিন্স দ্বীপ) is a small island (area only 8 km2) in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. There is a small adjoining island that is separated at high tide, called Chhera island. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River. The first settlement started just 250 years ago by some Arabian sailors who named the island 'Zajira'. During British occupation the island was named St. Martin Island. The local names of the island are "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Jinjira/Jinjera", which means 'Coconut Island' in Bengali, and "Daruchini Dip". It is the only coral island in Bangladesh.

The city of Chittagong has many high end, private hotels such as the Hotel Agrabad, the Hotel Well Park Residence, The Peninsula Chittagong, the Hotel Harbour View, the Hotel Meridian, and Avenue Hotels and Suites.

The JW Marriott, Westin and Radisson Blu are among the upcoming five-star hotels in Chittagong city.^[6][7][8]

Bandarban District

Nilgiri, Bandarban

Bandarban (Bengali: বান্দরবান) is a district in South-Eastern Bangladesh, and a part of the Chittagong Division and Chittagong Hill Tracts. Bandarban is regarded as one of the most attractive travel destinations in Bangladesh. Bandarban (meaning the dam of monkeys), or in Marma or Arakanese language as "Rwa-daw Mro" is also known as Arvumi or the Bohmong Circle (of the rest of the three hill districts Rangamati is the Chakma Circle, Raja Devasish Roy and Khagrachari is the Mong Circle, Raja Sachingprue Marma). Bandarban town is the hometown of the Bohmong Circle Chief (currently King, or Raja, U Cho Prue Marma) who is the head of the Marma population. It also is the administrative headquarters of Bandarban district, which has turned into one of the most exotic tourist attractions in Bangladesh.

Rangamati

Kaptai Lake, Rangamati

Shubhalang waterfall, Rangamati

Rangamati (Bengali: রাঙ্গামাটি) is the administrative headquarters of Rangamati Hill District in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Kaptai lake, the hanging bridge and Pablakhali reserve forest are some of the notable locations to visit in Rangamati.

Khagrachari District

Khagrachari (Bengali: খাগড়াছড়ি) is a district in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Division and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Its local name is "Chengmi". Khagrachari is also known as Phalang Htaung (ဖလံေထာင္) or the Mong Circle (of the rest of the three hill districts Rangamati is the Chakma Circle (သက္ေထာင္) and Bandarban (ဗိုလ္မင္းေထာင္) is the Bohmong Circle). There are many tourist places in Khagrachari like Alutila Cave, Alutila Tourists spot, Richhang waterfall, Yonged Buddha Bihar, Dighinala Touduchhori Waterfall and others.

Patenga beach

Patenga (Bengali: পতেঙ্গা) 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 the Bangladesh Naval Academy of the Bangladesh Navy and Shah Amanat International Airport. Its width is narrow and swimming in the seas is not recommended. Part of the seashore is built-up with concrete walls, and large blocks of stones have been laid to prevent erosion. During the 1990s, a host of restaurants and kiosks sprouted out around the beach area. Lighting of the area has enhanced the security aspect of visiting at night. It is guarded by large stones to protect it from tsunamis.

A tourist attraction near Patenga beach is the Butterfly Park.^[9]

Foy's Lake

Foys lake

Foy's Lake is a human-made lake in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The lake was once just a lake and spillway constructed by Assam-Bengal Railway engineer. It was dug in 1924 and was named after the English engineer Mr. Foy.^[10] The lake is next to Batali Hill, the highest hill in Chittagong Metropolitan area. An amusement park, managed by the Concord Group, is located here.^[10]

Heritage Park

There is a heritage park called Shaheed Zia Memorial Complex and Mini Bangladesh at Chandgaon which reflects the most notable structures and instances of Bangladesh. This 71-metre tower in Mini Bangladesh in Chittagong has a restaurant on the top that rotates once every 90 minutes. The museum includes a revolving restaurant. One can perceive of the country's architectural beauty, ethnic traditions and archaeological inheritance through having a glimpse of the heritage park. Replicas of major structures of the country include Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (parliament building), National Memorial of Savar, Ahsan Manzil, Curzon Hall of Dhaka University, Paharpur Monastery, Kantajew Temple of Dinajpur, Lalbagh Fort and Sona Masjid. The park also has different rides for children.

Chittagong War Cemetery

Ethnological Museum of Chittagong

The Ethnological Museum of Chittagong located in Agrabad, established in 1965, is the only ethnological museum in the country, and presents the lifestyles and heritage of various ethnic groups of the country. The museum authority collected rare elements used in everyday lives of different ethnic groups, of which some had already become extinct while others were on the verge of extinction. The museum contains four galleries and a small hall. Three galleries of the museum feature diverse elements of twenty nine ethnic groups in Bangladesh, while the rest of the gallery displays the lifestyles of some ethnic groups of India, Pakistan and Australia.^[11]

WWII cemetery and Circuit House

The War Cemetery on Badshah Mia Road contains the graves of 755 soldiers, and is protected and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.^[12] There are a number of museums in Chittagong. The most prominent is the Zia Memorial Museum which is housed in the old circuit house building. President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated there on 30 May 1981. This commemorative museum houses the late President Ziaur Rahman's mementos and personal belongings. It was established in 1993 with 12 galleries.^[13]

Bichnakandi

Bichnakandi

Bichnakandi (Bengali: বিছানাকান্দি) is a village in Rustompur Union in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District. In recent years there has been an influx of tourists to its river.

Jaflong

Jaflong attracts tourists for its beautiful scenery

Jaflong (Bengali: জাফলং) is a hill station and popular tourist destination in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is located in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District and situated at the border between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Meghalaya, overshadowed by subtropical mountains and rainforests. Jaflong is famous for its stone collections and is home of the Khasi tribe.^[14][15]

Madhobpur Lake

Madhobpur Lake is a lake of Srimangal in Maulvi Bazar District of Bangladesh.^[16] It is one of the popular tourist spot in Bangladesh.^[17][18]

Ratargul Swamp Forest

Ratargul Swamp Forest

Ratargul Swamp Forest is a freshwater swamp forest located in Gowainghat, Sylhet. It is the only swamp forest located in Bangladesh and one of the few freshwater swamp forest in the world. The forest is naturally conserved under the Department of Forestry, Govt. of Bangladesh.

The evergreen forest^[19] is situated by the river Goain and linked with the channel Chengir Khal. Most of the trees growing here are the Millettia pinnata (করচ গাছ "Koroch tree"). The forest is submerged under 20–30 feet water in the rainy season. For the rest of the year, the water level is about 10 feet deep.^[20][21][22]

Lalbagh Fort

Lalbagh Fort, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Lalbagh Fort is an incomplete 17th century Mughal fort complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh.^[23] This fort (also known as Fort Aurangabad)stands proudly before the Buriganga River in the southwestern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh.[1] The construction was started in 1678 AD by Mughal Subahdar Muhammad Azam Shah. For long the fort was considered to be a combination of three buildings (the mosque, the tomb of Bibi Pari and the Diwan-i-Aam), with two gateways and a portion of the partly damaged fortification wall. Recent excavations carried out by the Department of Archaeology have revealed the existence of other structures.

Ahsan Manzil

Ahsan Manzil

Ahsan Manzil (Bengali: আহসান মঞ্জিল, Ahsan Manzil) is a wonderful ancient building, located on the bank of the river Buriganga, in old Dhaka at Kumartoli, Islampur area. It was a residential palace for Dhaka Nawab Family. The structure of this palace was started in the year 1859 and was finished in 1869. It is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. To preserve the cultural and history of the area, the palace became the Bangladesh National Museum on 20 September 1992.

Shaheed Minar

Shaheed Minar

The Shaheed Minar (English: Martyr Monument) is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Bengali Language Movement demonstrations of 1952. On 21 February 1952, dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani police force opened fire on Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status for their native tongue, Bengali. The massacre occurred near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka. A makeshift monument was erected on 23 February^[24] by students of University of Dhaka and other educational institutions, but demolished on 26 February^[25] by the Pakistani police force. The Language Movement gained momentum, and after a long struggle, Bengali was given equal status with Urdu. To commemorate the dead, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely during Operation Searchlight. After Bangladesh gained independence, it was rebuilt. At present, all national, mourning, cultural and other activities held each year, regarding 21 February, have been centred around the Shaheed Minar.

Jatiyo Smriti Soudho

Jatiyo Smriti Soudho

Jatiyo Sriti Shoudho (Bengali: জাতীয় স্মৃতি সৌধ Jatio Sriti Shoudho) or National Martyrs' Memorial is the national monument of Bangladesh is the symbol in the memory of the valour and the sacrifice of all those who gave their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

Jatiya Sangshad

Bangladesh Parliament Assembly Hall

Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban (English: National Parliament; Bengali: জাতীয় সংসদ ভবন) was created by American architect Louis Kahn. Construction was started in 1961 and completed on 28 January 1982 with the total cost was about 32 million dollars. It is situated at Shre-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka. Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban was used for the first time on 15 February 1982 as the venue for the eighth (last) session of the second parliament of Bangladesh. Since then, it has been used for the Bangladesh National Assembly.

Tourist attractions in Dhaka

• Lalbagh Fort
• Dhakeshwari Temple
• Baitul Mukarram
• Ahsan Manzil
• Shaheed Minar
• Liberation War Museum
• Rickshaw art and rickshaw-riding
• Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban
• Bashundhara City

Somapura Mahavihara

Somapura Mahavihara is a World Heritage Site.

Somapura Mahavihara (Bengali: সোমপুর মহাবিহার Shompur Môhabihar) in Paharpur, Badalgachhi Upazila, Naogaon District (25°1'51.83"N, 88°58'37.15"E) is among the best known Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent and is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Mahastangar

Mahasthangarh (Bengali: মহাস্থানগড় Môhasthangôṛ) is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj thana of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory of Pundravardhana.^[26][27][28] A limestone slab bearing six lines in Prakrit in Brahmi script, discovered in 1931, dates Mahasthangarh to at least the 3rd century BC.^[29] The fortified area was in use till the 18th century AD.^[27]

Behula Lakshindar Basor Ghor

Behula Lakhindar Basor Ghor at Bogra

Behula (Bengali: বেহুলা) is the protagonist in the Manasamangal genre of Bengali medieval epics. A number of works belonging to this genre were written between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. Though the religious purpose of these works is to eulogise the Hindu goddess Manasa, these works are more well known for depicting the love story of Behula and her husband Lakhindar.

Kantajew Temple

Kantaji Temple, A late-medieval Hindu temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Built by Maharaja Pran Nath

Kantajew Temple (Bengali: কান্তজীউ মন্দির) at Kantanagar,^[30] is a late-medieval Hindu temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Built by Maharaja Pran Nath, its construction started in 1704 CE and ended in the reign of his son Raja Ramnath 1722 CE.^[31][32] It is regarded as one of the greatest examples on Terracotta architecture in Bangladesh and once had nine spires, but all were destroyed during the 1897 Assam earthquake.^[33]

Varendra Research Museum

Varendra Museum is a museum, research centre and visitor attraction in Rajshahi town and maintained by the University of Rajshahi.

Bagha Mosque

According to an inscription on the mosque's central entrance, bagha Mosque was Built by Sultan Nusrat Shah in 1523. Bagha Mosque is a richly decorated monument originally roofed over with ten domes which collapsed long ago. It is built of bricks with stone plinth, lintels and pillars. Recently this mosque was rebuilt carefully to its original form. The inscription is now preserved in Karachi, Pakistan.

Kuakata Beach

Kuakata beach

Kuakata (Bengali: কুয়াকাটা) is a sea beach on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh. Located in Patuakhali District, Kuakata has a wide sandy beach about 320 kilometres (200 mi) south of Dhaka, and about 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the district headquarters. Kuakata beach is 30 kilometres (19 mi) long and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) wide. On the eastern end of the beach is Gongamati Reserved Forest, an evergreen mangrove forest and snippet of the original Kuakata. When the Rakhines settled in the area in 1784, Kuakata was part of the larger Sundarbans forest. Sundarbans is now at a distance of one-hour by speed boat. As a mangrove forest, Gongamati, like the Sundarbans, offers some protection against tidal surges, however it too is threatened by logging and deforestation. The forest can be reached by foot or bike along the beach.

Lawachara National Park

A mother hoolock with her child at Lawachara National Park.

Lawachara National Park (Bengali: লাউয়াছড়া) is a major national park and nature reserve in Bangladesh. The park is located at Kamalganj Upazila, Maulvi Bazar District in the northeastern region of the country. It is located within the 2,740 ha (27.4 km²) West Bhanugach Reserved Forest.^[34]

Madhabkunda waterfall

Madhabkunda waterfall (Bengali: মাধবকুন্ড) is one of the largest waterfalls in Bangladesh. It is situated in Barlekha thana (subdistrict) in Moulvi Bazar District, Sylhet Division. The waterfall is a popular tourist spot in Bangladesh. Big boulders, surrounding forest, and the adjoining streams attracts many tourists for picnic parties and day trips.

Jaflong

Zero Point at Zuflong

Jaflong is a natural tourist spot in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is located in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District and situated at the border between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is just below the mountain range. Jaflong is famous for its stone collections and is home of the Khasi tribe.

Bichanakandi

Bichanakandi offers views of water, many kinds of stone and undeveloped hills.

Ratargul

Ratargul Swamp Forest

Ratargul Swamp Forest is the largest underwater forest in Bangladesh. Various insects and trees can be spotted by visitors.

Sundarbans

Chital deer are widely seen in Sundarbans

The Sundarbans (Bengali: সুন্দরবন, Shundorbôn) is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.^[35] The Sunderbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, most of which is situated in Bangladesh with the remainder in India. Sundarbans South, East and West are three protected forests in Bangladesh. This region is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger.

Mosque City of Bagerhat

Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat Bangladesh

The Mosque City of Bagerhat (Bengali: মসজিদের শহর বাগেরহাট) is a formerly lost city, located in the suburbs of Bagerhat city in Bagerhat District, in the Khulna Division of southwest of Bangladesh. Bagerhat is about 15 miles south east of Khulna and 200 miles southwest of Dhaka.^[36]

Originally known as Khalifatabad and nicknamed the "mint town of the Bengal Sultanate",^[37] the city was founded in the 15th century by the warrior saint Turkish general Ulugh Khan Jahan.^[38]

The historic city, listed by Forbes as one of the 15 lost cities of the world, has more than 50 Islamic monuments which have been found after removing the vegetation that had obscured them from view for many centuries. The site has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 under criteria (iv), "as an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble which illustrates a significant stage in human history",^[39] of which the Sixty Pillar Mosque (Shat Gombuj Masjid in Bengali), constructed with 60 pillars and 77 domes, is the most well known.^[37][40] Apart from these monuments, UNESCO also includes the mausoleum of Khan Jahan, the mosques of Singar, Bibi Begni, Reza Khoda, Zindavir among the unique monuments.^[39][41]

Religious

Bangladesh has many places of worship. Capital Dhaka is known as the city of mosques.

Some famous Religious Place of Worships and visitor attractions are:

The structure of Baitul Mukarram resembles the Kaaba in Mecca

Shorno Mandir (Golden Temple) at Bandarban, a holy place for the Buddhists

• Baitul Mukarram is the national mosque of Bangladesh. Located at the centre of Dhaka, the mosque was completed in 1968. The mosque has a capacity of 30,000, and it is world's tenth largest mosque.

Shat Gombuj Mosque (Sixty Dome Mosque) in Bagerhat Mosque City

• Mosque City of Bagerhat is a formerly lost city, located in the suburbs of Bagerhat city in Bagerhat District, in the Khulna Division. The historic city, listed by Forbes as one of the 15 lost cities of the world, has more than 50 Islamic monuments.
• Kantojiu Temple built between 1702 and 1752, a nava-ratna (nine-spired) style Hindu temple.
• Dhakeshwari Temple built in the twelfth century, the national temple of Bangladesh.
• Hoseni Dalan a Shia shrine built in the seventeenth century.
• Sixty Dome Mosque is a mosque in Bangladesh, the largest in that country from the Sultanate period. It has been described as "the most impressive Muslim monuments in the whole of the Indian subcontinent."

Ancient ruins

• Wari-Bateshwar ruins, built in 450 BC, 2500-year-old ancient fort city
• Somapura Mahavihara is a Buddhist monastery situated in the Rajshahi District in the north of Bangladesh. Covering almost 27 acres of land, Somapura Mahavira is one of the largest monasteries south of the Himalayas. The design is considered to be greatly influenced by Buddhist architecture found in Java and Cambodia.^[42]
• Mainamati is an isolated ridge of low hills in the eastern margins of deltaic Bangladesh, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the west of Comilla town. A landmark of ancient history, it represents a small mass of quasi-lateritic old alluvium. The ridge, set in the vast expanse of the fertile lower Meghna basin, extends for about 17 kilometres (11 mi) north–south from Mainamati village on the Gumti River to Chandi Mura near the Lalmai railway station.^[43]

Mahasthangarh at Bogra

• The oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh is outside Bogra, at Mahasthangarh.

Middle Age

• Sonargaon was the administrative centre of medieval Muslim rulers in East Bengal.
• Lalbagh Fort Lalbagh Fort or Fort Aurangabad, an incomplete Mughal palace fortress at Dhaka on the river Buriganga in the southwestern part of the old city. The fort was considered to be a combination of three buildings (the mosque, the tomb of Bibi Pari and the Diwan-i-Aam), two gateways and a portion of the partly damaged fortification wall.^[23]
• Ahsan Manzil was previously the official palace of the Dhaka Nawab family and is currently a museum preserving the culture and history of the area. Ahsan Manzil is considered to be one of the most noteworthy architectural monuments in Bangladesh.^[44]
• Bara Katra an architectural relic of Dhaka city. It is situated to the south of Chawk Bazar close to the bank of the river buriganga. The Katra enclosed a quadrangular courtyard with 22 rooms on all of its four sides.^[45]

British architecture

• Curzon Hall a hundred years old British style town hall.
• Northbrook Hall a hundred and fifty years old British style town hall.

Modern

• Bangladesh National Museum Located in the suburb of Shahbag, in the city of Dhaka, is the biggest museum in Bangladesh. It has a collection of over eighty five thousand pieces. The four-storey building is home not only to large exhibition halls, but to a conservatory laboratory, library, three auditoriums, photographic gallery, temporary exhibition hall, and an audio-visual division.^[46]
• Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban Parliamentary Building of Bangladesh, located in Dhaka. It was created by architect Louis Kahn and is one of the largest legislative complexes in the world. It houses all parliamentary activities of Bangladesh.
• Taj Mahal Bangladesh is a Bangladeshi artictecture inspired from original Taj Mahal

Panoramic view of Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban.

Wildlife in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is the home of royal Bengal tigers

Saltwater crocodile the largest of all living reptiles

Bangladesh is home to several well-known mammals including the Bengal tiger, the Asian elephant, the hoolock gibbon and the Asian black bear. The saltwater crocodile found in Sunderban is the largest of all living reptiles, The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake and the reticulated python is the longest among all snakes. The country has roughly 53 species of amphibian, 19 species of marine reptiles, 139 species of reptiles, 380 species of birds, 116 species of mammals, and 5 species of marine mammals. In addition to the large bird count, a further 310 species of migratory birds swell bird numbers each year. The vast majority of these creatures currently dwell in an area of land that is approximately 150,000 square kilometres (58,000 sq mi) in size. The dhole, also called the Asiatic wild dog, is now endangered by habitat, prey-species loss, and human persecution. Notable animal species that have disappeared from Bangladesh are the one- and two-horned rhinoceros, the gaur, the banteng, swamp deer, nilgai, Indian wolf, wild water buffalo, marsh crocodile and common peafowl.

The world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in Southwestern Bangladesh. Sundarbans National Parks are UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hill stations

• Bandarban, Chittagong
• Khagrachori, Chittagong
• Rangamati Hill District
• Jaflong, Sylhet
• Sripur, Sylhet
• Srimangal county, Sylhet
• Netrakona, Dhaka

Lakes

View of Kaptai Lake, Rangamati

• Mohamaya lake
• Kaptai Lake
• Dhanmondi Lake
• Foy's Lake
• Madhobpur Lake

Islands

St. Martin's Island

The islands of Bangladesh are scattered along the Bay of Bengal and the river mouth of the Padma. There are more than 30 islands in Bangladesh. Some famous tourist attractions are:

• St. Martin's Island, St. Martin
• Chhera Island, St. Martin
• Bhola Island, Bhola
• Manpura Island
• Nijhum Dwip, Hatiya, Noakhali
• Sandwip Island, Chattogram
• Sonadia Island, Chattogram