Ahsan Manzil Visit

 

Ahsan Manzil is located on the banks of the Buriganga river in the south of Dhaka city. It was the palace of Nawabs of Dhaka. In 1872 Nawab Abdul Ghani named it 'Ahsan Manzil' after his son Khwaja Ahsanullah. This palace was a major political center of Bengal for about 100 years from the middle of the 19th century. The landmark was converted into a museum (Ahsan Manzil Museum) in 1992 with 23 galleries and opened for visitors.

The size of the main building built on a 1 meter high altar is 125.4 meters in length and 28.75 meters in width. At that time, there were no buildings as beautiful as Ahsan Manzil in Dhaka. This Ahsan Manjil was the first electric lamp lit in Dhaka city. Ahsan Manzil is divided into two parts. The eastern part was the Darbar or Rangmahal and the western part was the Andar Mahal in two, connected two-storeyed parts. There is an open area on the south side. Then Buriganga river. Every morning and evening, this square comes alive with the walk of hundreds of people who love to travel and enjoy. The stairs from the second floor went to the river ghat. This historic building with about five acres of land was acquired by the Bangladesh government in 1985 and converted into a museum. A total of 23 galleries of the museum showcase the lifestyle and identity of the Nawabs of Dhaka. Beyond the last gallery is Ahsan Manzil's second floor balcony. Sitting on this balcony, the Nawab used to enjoy the view of the boats sailing on the Buriganga in the afternoon. If you look at this varied palace with a bored gaze, the image of the past history and the luxurious life of the Nawabs of Dhaka floats in your mind. Every day many local and foreign visitors come to visit Ahsan Manzil Museum. To quench the curiosity of the visitors, there are huge skeletons with ivory heads, round tables made of wood and white stone, ancient silver coins, carved wooden partitions, tables made of crystal, tableware used by the Nawabs, tables with eight tortoise legs, etc.

The museum is open for visitors on six days of the week except Thursday. Entry fee is only 2 taka.