Ali Amjad's Clock

The Ali Amjad Clock
ꠀꠟꠤ ꠀꠝꠎꠖꠞ ꠊꠠꠤ
আলী আমজদের ঘড়ি
A front view of The Ali Amjad Clock
Map
24°53′18″N 91°52′04″E / 24.888352°N 91.867794°E / 24.888352; 91.867794
LocationSylhet, Bangladesh
DesignerNawab Moulvi Ali Ahmad Khan
TypeTower
MaterialTin
Width5.1 m (16.7 ft)
Height7.4 m (24.3 ft)
Opening date1874
Dedicated toAli Amjad Khan

Ali Amjad's Clock (Sylheti: ꠀꠟꠤ ꠀꠝꠎꠖꠞ ꠊꠠꠤ, Bengali: আলী আমজদের ঘড়ি) is the oldest clock tower of Bangladesh and lies on the north bank of the Surma River in the northeastern city of Sylhet.[1][2] The tower was founded by Nawab Ali Ahmad Khan of Prithimpassa in 1872 and named after his son, Nawab Ali Amjad Khan.[3][4] It is a popular tourist attraction adjacent to the Keane Bridge and is often used in the establishing shot of films set in Sylhet.[5][6]

History

The tower was constructed in 1872 by Ali Amjad's father, Nawab Moulvi Ali Ahmed Khan, just two years before he was born.[7][8][9] Nawab Ali Amjad Khan was the 8th Nawab of the Prithimpasha estate in Kulaura, Moulvibazar.[10]

A popular old poem about the Sylhet city mentions the clock:

চাদঁনী ঘাটের সিড়িঁ, আলী আমজদের ঘড়ি, বঙ্কু বাবুর দাড়ি, আর জিতু মিয়ার বাড়ি
Channighater Shiri, Bonku Babu'r Dari, Jitu Miah'r Gari, Ar Ali Amzade'r Ghori.

This translates to "The steps of Channighat, the beard of Bonku Babu, the house of Jitu Miah, and the clock of Ali Amzad", all of which are local landmarks.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "A hub for booklovers". The Daily Star. Dhaka. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  2. ^ "Ali Amjad's Clock". wikimapia.org. Wikimapia. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  3. ^ Kadir Jibon, Abdul (2018-09-11). "Ali Amjad's Tower Clock". Daily Sun. Dhaka. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  4. ^ Siddiquee, Iqbal (2011-08-27). "Sylhet's 137-Year Old Icon". The Daily Star. Dhaka. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  5. ^ "Sylhet Townscape: Design through investigation on Sylhet's unique characteristics". Bengal Institute. Dhaka. 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  6. ^ এক বছর থেমে আছে আলী আমজদের ঘড়ির কাঁটা [Ali Amzad's Clock not working for the last 1 year]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Dhaka. 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  7. ^ Kadir Jibon, Abdul (2018-09-11). "Ali Amjad's Tower Clock". Daily Sun. Dhaka. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  8. ^ Alam, Mahabub (2016-07-20). এখনও সময় জানায় আমজাদের সেই ঘড়ি [Ali Amjad's clock still telling the time!]. Banglanews24.com. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  9. ^ Chowdhury, Aftab (2016-10-05). আলী আমজাদের ঘড়ি [The Clock of Ali Amjad]. Bangladesh Pratidin. Dhaka. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  10. ^ "Prithimpassa Nawab Family". prithimpassa estate. 2009-10-15. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  11. ^ Siddiquee, Iqbal (2011-08-27). "Sylhet's 137-Year Old Icon". The Daily Star. Dhaka. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  12. ^ Dash, Sumankumar (2019-05-28). এক বছর থেমে আছে আলী আমজদের ঘড়ির কাঁটা [Ali Amzad's Clock not working for the last 1 year]. Daily Prothom Alo. Dhaka. Retrieved 2019-08-17.