Bangladesh Tourist Attractions

                             Sundarbans 

Sun in the Sundarbans

The Sundarbans is a vast forest in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal; considered one of the natural wonders of the world, it was recognised in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bangladesh. Located in the delta region of Padma, Meghna and Brahmaputra river basins, this unique forest area extends across Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat districts of Bangladesh and South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal, India. The Sundarbans is the world's largest coastal mangrove forest, with an area of approximately 10,000 sq km; of which approximately 6,000 sq km is situated in Bangladesh and approximately 4,000 sq km in India. The Bangladeshi and Indian parts of the Sundarbans, while in fact adjacent parts of the uninterrupted landmark, have been listed separately in the UNESCO World Heritage List: as "Sundarbans" and "Sundarban National Park" respectively. The Sundarbans are a network of marine streams, mud shores and mangrove forests. The region is known to contain numerous species of animals, birds and reptiles, including Royal Bengal Tiger, Chital Deer, Crocodile and Snakes . On 21 May 1992, the Sundarbans was recognized as a Ramsar Site of ecological importance. 

                                     St. Martin's Island  

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 Chera Dwip. It is about 8 kilometres (5 miles) west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River.The first settlement started 250 years ago by Arabian sailors who named the island 'Jazeera'. During British occupation the island was named St. Martin Island. During the First Anglo-Burmese War between the British and Burmese empires in 1824–1826, rival claims to the island were a major factor. The local names of the island are "Narikel jinjira"which means 'Coconut Island' in Bengali, and "Daruchini Dwip" which means "Cinnamon island" in Bengali. It is the only coral island in Bangladesh.It is also the southernmost part among Extreme Points of Bangladesh. 

                                   Somapura Mahavihara 

View of the central shrine

Somapura Mahavihara (Bengali: সোমপুর মহাবিহার Shompur Môhabihar) in Paharpur, Badalgachhi Upazila, Naogaon District, Bangladesh 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 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. It dates from a similar time period to the nearby Halud Vihara and to the Sitakot Vihara in Nawabganj Upazila of Dinajpur District. 

                                    Sixty Dome Mosque 

Shat Gombuj Mosque

In the middle of the 15th century, a Muslim colony was founded in the mangrove forest of the Sundarbans, near the coast in the Bagerhat District by a saint-General, named Khan Jahan Ali. He preached in an affluent city during the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah, then known as 'Khalifalabad'. Khan Jahan adorned this city with more than a dozen mosques, the ruins of which are focused around the most imposing and largest multi-domed mosques in Bangladesh, known as the Shait-Gumbad Masjid (160'×108').The construction of the mosque was started in 1442 and it was completed in 1459. The mosque was used for prayers, and also as a madrasha and assembly hall. 

                      Bangladesh National Museum 

Bangladesh National Museum

organized and displays have been housed chronologically in several departments like department of ethnography and decorative art, department of history and classical art, department of natural history, and department of contemporary and world civilization. The museum also has a rich conservation laboratory. Nalini Kanta Bhattasali served as the first curator of the museum during 1914–1947

                                          Inani Beach 

Inani BeachAdd caption

Inani Beach (also Enani Beach) is an 18-kilometre-long (11 mi) sea beach in Ukhia Upazila of Cox's Bazar District, Bangladesh. It has a lot of coral stones, which are very sharp. These coral stones look black and green, and they are found in summer or rainy seasons.Pathorkhani is located in Jaliapalong, Inani Beach.Almost all of the visitors gather around it and love to take snapshot by sitting on it. 

                                         Kaptai Lake 

Kaptai Lake

Construction of the reservoir for the hydro-electric plant began in 1956 by the Government of East Pakistan.As a result, 54,000 acres (220 km²) of farmland in the Rangamati District went under water and created the lake. The hydro-electric project was funded by the United States. The project was finished in 1962. International Engineering Company and Utah International Inc. received the contract for construction of the dam. The dam is 670.8 meters long, and 54.7 meters high. The dam has a 745 feet (227 m) long spillway containing 16 gates. Through the spillway 5,250,000 cu ft/s (149,000 m³/s) of water can pass.

The land that went under water as a result of the dam construction, was 40% of the total arable land in the area. Along with that, 29 square miles (75 km²) of the Government-owned forest, and 234 square miles (610 km²) of other forest land went under water. About 18,000 families with a total of almost 100 thousand people were also displaced. The palace of the king of the Chakmas was also flooded and is now under water. 

                                Jatiyo Sriti Shoudho 

The National Martyrs' Monument of Bangladesh

Plans for the monument were initiated in 1976. Following the site selection, road and land development, a nationwide design competition was held in June,1978. Following evaluation of the 57 submissions, Syed Mainul Hossain's design was chosen. The main structure and the artificial lake and other facilities were completed in 1982. It was Inaugurated at 16 December 1982.

The architecture is composed of seven pairs of triangular-shaped walls or prisms; the outermost pair being the shortest in height but widest in span, the inner pairs gradually change their aspect ratio and the innermost pair thus forms the peak point of the architecture. Each of these seven pairs of walls represents a significant chapter in the history of Bangladesh, namely the Language Movement in 1952, the Election of United Front in 1954, the Constitution Movement in 1956, the Education Movement in 1962, 6-point Movement in 1966, the Mass Uprising in 1969, and finally the climatic event of Liberation War in 1971, through which Bangladesh was liberated. 

                                                   Patenga 

Fishing net washing

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.

Nowadays, alcohol peddling is very common at the beach. Vendors from the city sell their ice creams, cold drinks and food to the hundreds of tourists who come to Patenga Beach. According to the local people, Patenga is the best place for delicious, mouth-watering street food at very low costs. One of the popular dishes of the food stands is the fried, spicy mud crab served with a small plate full of falafel, garnished with cucumber and onion. The beach has a wonderful cool atmosphere even at the evening, and people come to enjoy the soothing breeze. The beach is lined with massive shady palm trees and fishing boats. It also has an array of speed boats for visitors. The beach, however, is quite sandy, with a few rocky patches.  

                                Shaheed Minar, Dhaka

Shaheed minar Roehl

The first Shaheed Minar was built immediately after the events of 21–22 February 1952. According to Dr. Sayeed Haider the main planner and the designer of the first Shaheed Minar, the decision to build it was first made by the students of Dhaka Medical College. Shaheed Minar is situated near Dhaka Medical College Hospital and in the Dhaka University area. It is adjacent to the Mathematics department of Dhaka University. It is only 0.5 kilometres (0.3 mi) away from Shahbag and 0.25 km (0.16 mi) distant from Chankharpul. Shaheed Minar is an outstanding monument of Bangladesh. It was built to tribute the martyrs who given up their life for language. The main incident had been occurring inside of Dhaka medical college hospital. So a decision was taken to build a memorial adjacent to DMCH. The planning started at midnight on 22 February, and the work started the next day. This Minar was sponsored by Pearu Sardar, one of the old Dhaka panchayet sardars, when some of the students asked his help at midnight of 22 February, to contribute the raw materials needed to build the monument. Although curfew was in place, students started building the Minar in the afternoon of 23 February. They worked through the night and finished it at dawn. A hand written paper was attached to the Minar with "Shaheed Smritistombho" written on it. The original Minar was on a base measuring 10.5 feet (3.2 m).The Minar was inaugurated by the father of Sofiur Rahman, killed during the massacre. It was demolished on 26 February by the police and Pakistani Army. Smaller versions of the memorial were built in other places.