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. Dhaka is a megacity, and has a population of 10.2 million residents as of 2022, and a population of over 22.4 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.
Bengali cuisine is the culinary style of Bengal, that comprises Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Karimganj district. The cuisine has been shaped by the region's diverse history and climate. It is known for its varied use of flavours including mustard oil, as well as the spread of its confectioneries and desserts. There is a strong emphasis on rice as a staple, with fish traditionally the most common protein. Freshwater fish are preferred to seafish, although barramundi, known as bhetki, is also common. Meat is also a common protein among Bengalis with chicken and mutton meat being the most popular. Beef is popular within the muslim community. In more recent times, lentils have begun to form a significant part of the diet. Many Bengali food traditions draw from social activities, such as adda, Poila Boishakh, Mezban, Iftar and Eid feast.
Jalebi, is a popular sweet snack in the Indian subcontinent, West Asia and some parts of Africa. It goes by many names, including jilapi, zelepi, jilebi, jilipi, zulbia, jerry, mushabak, z’labia, or zalabia.
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.
Mymensingh is a metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Jamuna 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. Bangladeshi cooking features more meat dishes than the cuisine of neighbouring West Bengal, India.
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.
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.
Shankhari Bazaar is one of the oldest areas in Old Dhaka broadly known as Shankhari Potti. It stretches along a narrow lane, lined with richly decorated brick buildings, built during the late Mughal or Colonial period.
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 with varied culture including many festivities, a variety of cuisine, an entertainment industry, shopping experiences and sites of interest. These 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. Dhaka is known as the center of media and cinema of Bangladesh, housing many of Bangladesh's important academies. 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.
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 merchants to the city. The cultivators came to be known as Kutti and they speak Dhakaiya Kutti, a dialect of Bengali and the merchants came to be known as Khoshbas and speak Dhakaiya Urdu. There are sizeable populations in other parts of Bangladesh. The Old Dhakaiyas maintain a distinct regional identity in addition to their ethnic Bengali identity, due to cultural, geographical and historical reasons. 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.
Furir Bari Iftari is the Bengali tradition among Bengali Muslims in the Sylhet region of giving Iftar to the household of one's daughter's in-laws during the month of Ramadan. The term comes from the Sylheti word Furi (daughter).