Quezi

Rickshaws Everywhere - courtesy fyunkie - CC-BY

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the country’s largest city.

Though there has been settlement on the site of Dhaka since the 7th century, Dhaka itself  was founded in 1608 AD by Islam Khan Chisti.  Then during the regime of Mughal Emperor Zahangir it was renamed Zahangirnagor.  In 1947, the city became the provincial capital of East Pakistan. Dhaka has been the capital of Bangladesh since the nation’s independence in 1971. The Romanized spelling of the Bengali name was changed from Dacca to Dhaka in 1982.

Dhaka is densely populated and active at all hours. It is a city of wide contrasts between old and new, rich and poor, industry and folk life. From the concrete and steel National Parliament House and the ultramodern Bashundhara City, the largest shopping mall in South Asia, to the 17th Century Lalbagh Fort and the open markets along the city’s side streets, these contrasts shape the city. The Dhaka International Film Festival is growing into one of the largest in the world and brings visitors from everyplace.

As a large city Dhaka has all the expected amenities including fine restaurants, shopping ranging from open air markets to modern malls, many museums, mosques and other interesting architectural features and even a moderate night life.

The climate is tropical and for most of the year it is warm with bright sunshine, but during the Monsoons there’s heavy rainfall. During the winter months (November to March) it is cool and pleasant.

Dhaks is served by Zia International Airport.  Public transportation is by bus, taxi, and a large fleet of bicycle rickshaws which are the main form of vehicular transportation.

Dhaka population is 6,737,774 (2007)

+880 is the international dialing code for Bangladesh
2 is the area code for Dhaka

For more information about Dhaka