| InterContinental Dhaka | |
|---|---|
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 The hotel seen in 2006, original 1966 wing on the left | |
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| Former names | Hotel Inter-Continental Dacca Sheraton Dhaka Hotel Ruposhi Bangla Hotel |
| General information | |
| Type | Hotel |
| Location | 1 Minto Road, Ramna, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh |
The InterContinental Dhaka is a prominent luxury hotel in Ramna in central Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It opened in 1966 and is owned by the Bangladeshi government.
The Inter-Continental Dacca opened in 1966, when the city, then known as Dacca, was the capital of East Pakistan. The hotel was the first international five star hotel in what would soon become the nation of Bangladesh. It was designed by architect William B. Tabler. [1]
The hotel played host to many important political events in the run up to the independence of Bangladesh, including negotiations on the transfer of power after the 1970 elections. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, it was declared a neutral zone by the International Red Cross. [2] Many buildings in its surrounding neighborhoods were targeted by the Pakistani military, including newspaper offices and university halls. [3]
InterContinental Hotels continued to operate the hotel until 1983, when it was taken over by Sheraton, becoming the Sheraton Dhaka Hotel. In 2011, Sheraton announced that it would end its contract with the Bangladeshi government to manage the hotel, which was renamed the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel. [4] In 2013, it was announced that InterContinental Hotels would re-assume management of the state-owned property, following a major renovation. The hotel closed on September 1, 2014 and reopened as the InterContinental Dhaka [5] on December 19, 2018. [6]
The vicinity of the hotel includes the Shahbag roundabout, the Suhrawardy Udyan, Ramna Park, the Dhaka Club, the University of Dhaka, BSMMU, BIRDEM Hospital, the Bangladesh National Museum and official state guest houses.
Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city in the world with a population of 8.9 million residents as of 2011, and a population of over 21.7 million residents in the Greater Dhaka Area. According to a Demographia survey, Dhaka has the most densely populated built-up urban area in the world, and is popularly described as such in the news media. Dhaka is one of the major cities of South Asia and a major global Muslim-majority city. As of 2021, Dhaka's nominal GDP is estimated to be US$253.30 billion and GDP (PPP) is estimated to be US$510.276 billion.Dhaka ranks 39th in the world and 2nd in South Asia in terms of urban GDP. As part of the Bengal delta, the city is bounded by the Buriganga River, Turag River, Dhaleshwari River and Shitalakshya River.
Ramna Park is a large park and recreation area situated at the heart of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. This forested park with pond near its center is one of the most beautiful areas in Dhaka. Islamabad's diplomatic district is named Ramna as a tribute to Ramna Park. This dates from when Bangladesh was East Pakistan and the newly established capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, was divided into various sectors named after various provinces such as Shalimar depicting Punjab and Ramna Bengal.
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is the largest international airport in Bangladesh. It is located in Kurmitola, 17 kilometres from the city centre, in the northern part of the capital city Dhaka. The airport is also used as a part of Bangladesh Air Force Base. The airport has an area of 802 hectares. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) operates and maintains the airport. It started operations in 1980, taking over from Tejgaon Airport as the principal international airport of the country. The airport was formerly known as Dacca International Airport and later as Zia International Airport, before being named in honour of Shah Jalal, who is one of the most respected Sufi saints of Bangladesh. The IATA code of the airport "DAC" is derived from "Dacca", which is the previously used spelling for "Dhaka".
Suhrawardy Udyan formerly known as Ramna Race Course ground is a national memorial located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is named after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. Originally it served as the military club of the British soldiers stationed in Dhaka. It was then called the Ramna Race Course and later Ramna Gymkhana. After the end of colonial rule, the place – sometimes referred to as Dhaka Race Course – was used for legal horse racing on Sundays.
Bangladesh Television, commonly known by its acronym BTV, is the state-owned television network of Bangladesh. The network was originally established as the East Pakistan branch of PTV in 1964. It is the oldest Bengali-language television network in the world, and is the sister to the radio broadcaster Bangladesh Betar, which, along with BTV, are both owned and operated by the government.
Bangladesh Betar, or BB is the state-owned radio broadcaster of Bangladesh, initially established as the Dhaka station of All India Radio in 1939. It was later made part of Radio Pakistan. After the independence of the country in 1971, Radio Pakistan ceased transmissions there and the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was renamed to Bangladesh Betar, which took full control of all radio stations in the country at the time.
The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender was a written agreement between India, Pakistan, and the Provisional Government of Bangladesh that enabled the capitulation of 93,000 West Pakistani troops of the Armed Forces Eastern Command on 16 December 1971, thereby ending the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 with the formal establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh in erstwhile East Pakistan. It was the largest surrender in terms of number of personnel since the end of World War II.
Bailey road is a well-known thoroughfare in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It is a classic road in Dhaka. It runs through Shantinagar, connecting the Kakrail-Ramna road with the Siddheshwari junction. It is generally regarded as one of the classier areas of the city. The bailey road is considered as two distinct roads, one after another, they are the new baily road and the Baily road. The new Baily road is well recognised for its famous theatres, numerous boutiques, shops, schools, fast foods, restaurants and various hangout places. The other Baily road is reputable because of the officers club, Foreign Service academy and homes of ministers, officers and government officials. Bailey Road was featured in a song of the same name by Ayub Bachchu, lead singer of the popular rock band LRB. Bailey Road was officially renamed Natok Soroni, in recognition of the road's contributions to performing arts in the capital.
The Ramna Kali Mandir is a temple in Dhaka that was originally built in the time of the Mughal Empire. It was also known as the "Ramna Kalibari". The temple is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali.
Shahbag or Shahbagh is a major neighbourhood and a police precinct or thana in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is also a major public transport hub. It is a junction between two contrasting sections of the city—Old Dhaka and New Dhaka—which lie, respectively, to its south and north. Developed in the 17th century during Mughal rule in Bengal, when Old Dhaka was the provincial capital and a centre of the flourishing muslin industry, it came to neglect and decay in early 19th century. In the mid-19th century, the Shahbag area was developed as New Dhaka became a provincial centre of the British Raj, ending a century of decline brought on by the passing of Mughal rule.
Mohammadpur is a thana of Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Although initially Mohammadpur had grown as a residential area, subsequent commercial places have also been developed as well.
Ramna is a historic colonial neighborhood in central Dhaka. Once the site of Mughal gardens, it developed into an institutional area during British rule in the late 19th century. It became a focal point for Dhaka's modernization in the 1960s. It was the scene of many tumultuous events that ushered the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
The Dhaka Club is the oldest recreation organisation and the largest of elite clubs in Dhaka. Originally it was an all-white association and it now is the premier elite association in Bangladesh.
Television is one of the most popular forms of media and information in Bangladesh. It was one of the first countries in South Asia to introduce television on 25 December 1964, in the then East Pakistan under the state-owned television network Pakistan Television Corporation in its capital, Dhaka. After the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the Dhaka television station of PTV was renamed to Bangladesh Television, which had a monopoly on the country's television industry until 1997, with the launch of ATN Bangla on satellite television. Since then, the number of privately owned television channels saw a tremendous rise in the Bangladeshi television market.
In March 1971, the Pakistan Army Eastern Wing Commander Tikka Khan launched Operation Searchlight on the orders of dictator Yahya Khan to crush the Bengali nationalist movement. As part of the operation, the Pakistani forces performed the 1971 Dhaka University massacre.
The 7 March Speech of Bangabandhu was a historic speech given by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh on 7 March 1971 at the Ramna Race Course made in Dhaka to a gathering of over 2 million (2,000,000) people. It was delivered during a period of escalating tensions between East Pakistan and the powerful political and military establishment of West Pakistan. In the speech, Bangabandhu informally declared independence of Bangladesh, proclaiming: "The struggle this time, is a struggle for our liberty. The struggle this time, is a struggle for our independence." He announced a civil disobedience movement in the province, calling for "every house to turn into a fortress". The speech inspired the Bengali people to prepare for a war of independence amid widespread reports of armed mobilisation by West Pakistan. The Bangladesh Liberation War began 18 days later when the Pakistan Army initiated Operation Searchlight against Bengali civilians, intelligentsia, students, politicians, and armed personnel. On 30 October 2017, UNESCO added the speech to the Memory of the World Register as a documentary heritage.
Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) was the former self-governing corporation that was entrusted with the task of running the municipal affairs of Dhaka city. The incorporated area was divided into several wards. Each ward has an elected ward commissioner. The mayor of the city was elected by popular vote every five years, although the last mayoral election took place in 2002. The corporation was dissolved by the Local Government Amendment Bill 2011 on 29 November, passed in the Parliament of Bangladesh, and formally ceased to exist on 1 December 2011, following the President's approval, making way for a Dhaka North and a Dhaka South city corporations.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Dhaka is the most populous city of Bangladesh and is characterized by its busy urban life with vibrant and versatile culture including many festivities, variety of cuisine, entertainment industry, shopping experience and sites of interests.
Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital of Bangladesh. It is the ninth-largest and the sixth-most densely populated city in the world, with a population of 8.9 million residents within the city limits, and a population of over 21 million residents in the Greater Dhaka Area. Dhaka is the economic, political, and cultural center of Bangladesh, and is one of the major cities in South Asia, the largest city in Eastern South Asia.
