Chawk Bazaar is a sprawling wholesale market area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with hundreds of shops, market stalls and vendors. It dates to the 17th Century CE when under Mughal rule. [1] [2] The bazaar is located in the Chowkbazar Thana part of Old Dhaka.
Beside the market square is Chawk Mosque, built by Shaista Khan in 1676. It is 94 feet long, 80 feet wide and has three domes.
Chawk Bazar has a great significance in Bengali culture during Ramadan. While its popularity as a business hub has diminished over the years, Chawk Bazaar is the busiest iftar market. One of the most iconic, and often derided, items is the "boro baper polay khay." [3] Other iconic dishes includes Shahi jilapi, popularly known as "Sunflower Jalebis", [4] Beguni, Piyaju, Keema Paratha, Beauty lassi, Koel roast, Dim chop, Alur chop, Puran Dhaka Haleem, Hajir Biryani, Chickpeas, fruits, Pithas and Mishtis (Bengali sweets) like Sandesh, Roshogolla, Chomchom, Rasmalai, Bakarkhani, Pantua, Chennar Jilapi, etc. In 2023 UNESCO added iftar to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. [5]
Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is the ninth-largest and seventh-most densely populated city in the world with a density of 23,234 people per square kilometer within a total area of approximately 300 square kilometers. Dhaka is a megacity, and has a population of 10.2 million residents as of 2024, and a population of over 23.9 million residents in Dhaka Metropolitan Area. It is widely considered to be the most densely populated built-up urban area in the world. Dhaka is the most important cultural, economic, and scientific hub of Eastern South Asia, as well as a major Muslim-majority city. Dhaka ranks third in South Asia and 39th in the world in terms of GDP. Lying on the Ganges Delta, it is bounded by the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari and Shitalakshya rivers. Dhaka is also the largest Bengali-speaking city in the world.
Jamdani is a fine muslin textile produced for centuries in South Rupshi of Narayanganj district in Bangladesh on the bank of Shitalakhwa river.
Iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan at the time of adhan of the Maghrib prayer.
The culture of Bangladesh is intertwined with the culture of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. It has evolved over the centuries and encompasses the cultural diversity of several social groups of Bangladesh. The Bengal Renaissance of the 18th early 19th centuries, noted Bengali writers, saints, authors, scientists, researchers, thinkers, music composers, painters, film-makers have played a significant role in the development of Bengali culture. The culture of Bangladesh is deeply intertwined with the culture of the Bengal region. Basically, Bengali culture refers to the culture of Bangladesh. The Bengal Renaissance contained the seeds of a nascent political Indian nationalism which was the precursor in many ways to modern Indian artistic cultural expression.
Cox's Bazar is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in southeastern Bangladesh. Cox's Bazar Beach, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangladesh, is the longest uninterrupted natural beach in the world. Located 150 km (93 mi) south of the city of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, which translates literally as "yellow flower." An old name was "Palongkee".
Mymensingh is a metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Brahmaputra River, about 120 km (75 mi) north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north-central Bangladesh. It is the administrative center of Mymensingh District and Mymensingh Division. As of 2022, Mymensingh City Corporation is the 7th largest city in terms of area and the 8th largest in terms of population in the country, with a population of 576,927 people.
Rickshaw painting is a form of neo-romanticism emerging in Bangladesh. The art in question consists of oil paintings on the rear of the canvas roof of rickshaws, done by local street artists, who also paint the various landscape, portraits and personal statements of the driver. Rickshaw and rickshaw painting of Bangladesh are listed as ‘intangible heritage’ by UNESCO.
Bangladeshi cuisine has been shaped by the region's history and river-line geography. Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate. The staple of Bangladesh is rice and fish. The majority of Bangladeshi people are ethnic Bengali, accustomed to Bengali cuisine, with a minority of non-Bengalis, many used to cuisines from different traditions and regions.
Balaganj is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh.
Katra or Katara refers to a type of caravanserai, an inn or resting place, primarily found in the Bengal region. These structures were built to accommodate travellers, merchants, and their caravans.
Tourism in Bangladesh includes tourism to World Heritage Sites, historical monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic spots, forests, tribal people, and wildlife of various species. Activities for tourists include angling, water skiing, river cruising, hiking, rowing, yachting, beachgoing and sea bathing.
Kawran Bazar, also referred to as Karwan Bazar, is a central business district and is one of the biggest commodity marketplaces in Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh. Located in Tejgaon Thana, it is a designated commercial area of the Dhaka North City Corporation. The biggest local Bangladeshi fruits wholesale market is located here. Kawran Bazar is next to Panthapath, a road that has several well-known establishments.
Old Dhaka is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar, the capital of Mughal Province of Bengal and named after the Mughal emperor Jahangir. It is located on the banks of the Buriganga River. It was one of the largest and most prosperous cities of the Indian subcontinent and the center of the worldwide muslin trade. The then Nawab of Bengal Murshid Quli Khan shifted the capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad in the early-18th century. With the rise of Calcutta during the British rule, Dhaka began to decline and came to be known as the "City of Magnificent Ruins". The British however began to develop the modern city from the mid-19th century.
Chowkbazar, also called Chawkbazar Model Thana, is a Thana of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was formed in August 2009 from parts of Lalbagh Thana and Kotwali Thana, and has an area of 2.07 km2. It includes the Chowk Bazaar and was the site of the February 2019 Dhaka fire.
Dhaka is the most populous city of Bangladesh and is characterized by its busy urban life and a variety of cultural experiences, including festivities, cuisine, entertainment, shopping, and sites of interest. The nature of these activities mirrors the secular character of the city's population. Important holidays include Language Movement Day, Independence Day, Victory Day, and Pahela Boishakh. Religious festivals include Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Durga Puja, Buddha Purnima, etc. The culture of Dhaka is based on the culture of Bengal.
Mangal Shobhajatra or Mongol Shovajatra is a mass procession that takes place at dawn on the first day of the Bengali New Year in Bangladesh. The procession is organised by the teachers and students of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Dhaka. The festival is considered an expression of the secular identity of the Bangladeshi people and as a way to promote unity. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2016, categorised on the representative list as a heritage of humanity.
Soft Khichuri, also known as Norom Kisuri is one kind of rice-based meal which is similar in consistency to porridge, a popular dish in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. It is a traditional food in Sylheti cuisine that is served most dinner tables during the holy month of Ramadan. Being a staple food for iftar, Soft Khichuri at home and Akhni for serving the guest is a tradition of Sylhet. Aromatic rice mixing with various spices including ghee, kalozira and fenugreek to cook Kisuri. There are two types of Soft Khichuri; white soft khichuri (jau/zau) and yellow soft khichuri (kisuri). Chana, Chickpea, piyaju, Bakarkhani, potato chops, egg chops, Beguni, vegetables and leaf pakora, Jalebi, Sharbat, phirni are the side dishes of Sylheti Iftar items. Among the sweetmeats, Sylhet's specialty is Imarti. It is specially made of without any food color for Iftari. Though it looks like jilapi, there is a difference between them in size and taste.
The Old Dhakaites are an Indo-Aryan cultural group viewed as the original inhabitants of Dhaka. They are sometimes referred to as simply Dhakaites or Dhakaiya. Their history dates back to the Mughal period with the migration of Bengali cultivators and North Indian merchants to the city. The Bengali cultivators came to be known as Kutti and they speak Dhakaiya Kutti, a dialect of Bengali and the North Indian merchants came to be known as Khoshbas and they speak Dhakaiya Urdu, a dialect of Urdu. There are sizeable populations in other parts of Bangladesh. They have been described as a wealthy but very closed-off community; evidently being a minority in their own hometown. It is said that some people living in Greater Dhaka are even unaware of the existence of an Urdu-speaking non-Bihari minority community although their presence dates back centuries.
Shahi jilapi is a famous and traditional sweetmeat originating from Chowk Bazaar in Old Dhaka of Bangladesh, which is very popular throughout the country. Especially, in Ramadan it is most commonly prepared and sold in Chawkbazar of Old Dhaka which is a popular iftar hub to the natives of Dhaka.