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Ahsan Manzil

Coordinates: 23°42′30.95″N 90°24′21.81″E / 23.7085972°N 90.4060583°E / 23.7085972; 90.4060583
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Ahsan Manzil
আহসান মঞ্জিল
View from South East in 2022
Map
Former namesRangmahal
General information
Architectural styleIndo-Saracenic Revival architecture
LocationKumartoli, Dhaka, Bangladesh
CountryBangladesh
Coordinates23°42′30.95″N 90°24′21.81″E / 23.7085972°N 90.4060583°E / 23.7085972; 90.4060583
Construction started1859 (1859)
Completed1872 (1872)
OwnerBangladesh National Museum
Design and construction
Main contractorMartin and Co.
Website
www.ahsanmanzilticket.gov.bd

Ahsan Manzil (Bengali: আহসান মঞ্জিল) is a palace located in the Kumartoli area beside Buriganga River of Dhaka, Bangladesh.[1][2] It was formerly the residence and seat of the Nawab of Dhaka and has been designated an Old Dhaka Heritage Site.[3] It now serves as a museum.[4]

History

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Khwaja Salimullah with his family in front of Ahsan Manzil

During the Mughal Empire, Sheikh Enayetullah, the Zamindar of the Jamalpur Pargana, had a garden house on this property and later added a palace, which he called Rangmahal.[5] He was buried on the northeast corner of the palace yard but his gravesite was ruined at the beginning of the 20th century. His son, Sheikh Matiullah, sold the property to French traders, who erected a trading house beside the property. In 1839, Khwaja Alimullah purchased the property from the French.[3] Alimullah renovated the property, turning the trading house into a residence and adding a stable and a family mosque. After his death, his son Khwaja Abdul Ghani named the property Ahsan Manzil after his son, Khwaja Ahsanullah. He hired Martin and Company, a European construction and engineering firm, to make a master plan for their residence.[3] The palace was constructed during 1859–1872.[3] The old building was renamed Andar Mahal and the new building, Rangmahal.[6][7]

On 7 April 1888, a tornado severely damaged Ahsan Manzil and it was temporarily abandoned.[8] With the exception of Rangmahal, which only required repairs, all buildings had to be rebuilt. Abdul Ghani and Ahsanullah continued renovations. What was previously the French trading house was rebuilt as a two-storey building similar to the Rangmahal. A wooden bridge connected the first floors of the two buildings. The palace was repaired again following the 1897 Assam earthquake. After Ahsanullah's death in 1901, the property again changed hands due in part to disagreements within the family. It was a slum for a period before the government acquired it in 1952 under the East Bengal Estate Acquisition Act.

The Government of Bangladesh acquired the palace and property in 1985 and began renovating it, taking care to preserve the remaining structure.[8] Renovations were completed in 1992 and ownership was transferred to the Bangladesh National Museum. Part of the northern side of the property was given to the Dhaka City Corporation while half of the Andarmahal and the Nawab residential area were beyond acquisition.[9] Just under 5 acres (220,000 sq ft) was then used for the museum.[10]

Architecture

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Ahsan Manzil in 1965

Ahsan Manzil was built on a 1 metre (3.3 ft) raised platform and the palace measured 125.4 metres (137.1 yd) by 28.75 metres (31.44 yd). There are 5 metres (16 ft) porticos on the northern and southern sides of the palace. The building itself faces the Buriganga River. On the riverside is a stairway leading up to the second portal. A fountain previously sat at the foot of the stairs but was not rebuilt. Along the north and south sides of the building are verandas with open terraces.

The palace is divided into the eastern side, the Rangmahal, and the western side, the Andarmahal. The Rangmahal features the dome, a drawing room, a card room, a library, a state room, and two guest rooms. The Andarmahal has a ballroom, a storeroom, an assembly room, a chest room, a dining hall, a music room, and a few residential rooms. Both the drawing room and the music room have artificial vaulted ceilings. The dining and assembly rooms have white, green, and yellow ceramic tiles.[citation needed]

Dome of Ahsan Manzil

The dome is at the center of the palace and is complex in its design. The room at its base is square with brickwork placed around the corners to make it circular. Squinches were added to the roof corners to give the room an octagonal shape and slant gradually to give the dome the appearance of a lotus bud. The dome's peak is 27.13 metres (89.0 ft) tall.[11]

Ahsan Manzil extended view

Political use

[edit]

High-profile visitors to the area, including Lord Dufferin, often boarded at the palace. The All India Muslim League emerged from this property. This is the former official seat of the Nawab of Dhaka.[5][12]

Ahsan Manzil south view in 2012

References

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  1. ^ "A palace by the river". The Daily Star. 10 February 2024. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024.
  2. ^ Rahman, Mohammed (29 July 2022). "1. 5. 2 Ahsan Manzil". Handbook of Waterfront Cities and Urbanism (ebook). CNC Press. ISBN 9781000588941.
  3. ^ a b c d Alamgir, Mohammad (2012). "Ahsan Manzil". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 27 November 2024. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-01-19)
  4. ^ Onu, Tareq (28 March 2024). "Five nearby places to visit during Eid holidays". The Business Standard. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Ahsan Manzil: The tale of the pink palace". Daily Asian Age. 4 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Ahsan Manzil: an aristocracy of the ancient era". Bangladesh Tourism Board. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ^ Marcus, Lilit (21 December 2022). "Asia's most underrated places". CNN. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023.
  8. ^ a b Morshed, Adnan Zillur (2 July 2018). "A Palace on the River: Ahsan Manzil". The Daily Star.
  9. ^ Ahmed, Nizamuddin (25 April 2015). "No ahsan at the manzil". The Daily Star.
  10. ^ "Ahsan Manzil in Dhaka, Bangladesh". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  11. ^ "Ahsan Manzil: an aristocracy of the ancient era". beautifulbangladesh.gov.bd. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Buriganga has changed but Ahsan Manzil did not change!". Barta24. 3 March 2024. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024.

Further reading

[edit]
  • ArchNet on Ahsan Manzil Restoration
  • Muntasir Mamun, Dhaka: Smriti Bismritir Nogori, vol 1, Anyna Publishers, 2008, Ahsan Majil, p. 39
  • Taifoor, S.M. Glimpses of Old Dacca, on Dhaka, 1956
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