Old Dhaka

Old Dhaka (Bengali: পুরান ঢাকা, romanized: Purān Ḍhākā) is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. 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 city was founded in 1608, named Jahangirnagar (Bengali: জাহাঙ্গীরনগর, romanized: Jāhāṅgīrnôgôr, lit. 'City of Jahangir'), after the then Mughal emperor Jahangir. It was the capital of the Mughal Province of Bengal, until Subahdar (later Nawab) Murshid Quli Khan shifted the capital to Murshidabad in the early-18th century. With the rise of Calcutta (now Kolkata) during the British Raj, Dhaka began to decline and came to be known as the "City of Magnificent Ruins". The British, however, began to develop the modern city in the mid-19th century.

Old Dhaka is famous for its variety of foods and the amicable living of people of all religions in harmony. The main Muslim festivals celebrated with fanfare here are Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha; then there is the Ashura, a day of commemoration and mourning, respectively, for Sunni and Shia Muslims. Hindu festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja, and Saraswati Puja are also celebrated with enthusiasm. The festivals which are celebrated by all religious communities with much splendor include Shakrain, Pohela Falgun, and Halkhata. Demographically, the old Dhaka is predominantly Muslim, while a significant number of Hindus also reside here. Its inhabitants are known as the demonym Dhakaiya or "Dhakaites".