Timeline of Dhaka

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Prior to 19th century

• 8th century CE – Dhaka part of Pala Empire.
• 1095 – Senas in power.
• 1457 – Binat Bibi Mosque constructed.[1]
• 1459 – Gate built.[2]
• 1580s – Portuguese merchants open the first European trading post in Dhaka.[3]
• 1610 – City renamed Jahangirnagar; becomes capital of Bengal; Mughal Islam Khan in power.[2][3][4]
• 1639 – Capital relocated from Dhaka to Rajmahal.[2]
• 1640 – Mughal Eidgah mosque built.[5][6]
• 1642 – Hussaini Dalan (mosque) built.[7]
• 1645 – Bara Katra (caravansary) built.[5][6][4]
• 1646 – Navaratna temple built (approximate date).[6]
• 1649 – Lalbagh Fort mosque built.[2]
• 1659 – Capital relocated to Dhaka from Rajmahal.[2]
• 1660 – Pagla bridge built on Dacca-Narayangaj road (approximate date).[6][8]
• 1682 – 25 October: William Hedges, the first Agent and Governor of East India Company in the Bay of Bengal, arrived Dhaka.[9]: 156 
• 1663 – Choto Katra (caravansary) built.
• 1668 – English Factory built.[5]
• 1676 – Chowk Bazaar Shai Mosque built.
• 1677 – Holy Rosary Church built by Portuguese.
• 1678 – Lalbagh palace construction begins.[5]
• 1679 – Shahbaz Khan Mosque and Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque built.[2]
• 1696
  • Mosque of Haji Kahjeh Shahabag built in Ramne (approximate date).[6]
  • Jayakali temple and Siva temple built in Thatari Bazar (approximate date).[6]
• 1704 – Murshid Quli Khan residence relocates from Dhaka to Murshidabad.[10]
• 1717 – Khan Muhammad Ali Khan becomes deputy governor.[11]
• 1723 – Itisam Khan becomes deputy governor.[11]
• 1728 – Mirza Lutfullah becomes deputy governor.[11]
• 1756 – Jasarat Khan becomes deputy governor.[11]
• 1765
  • British East India Company in power.
  • Population: 450,000 (estimate).[12]
• 1781 – Armenian Church built.[6]
• 1793 – Laxmi Narayan Mandir (temple) built.
• 1800 – Population: 200,000 (estimate).[10]

19th century

• 1815
  • Catholic church built.[13]
  • Lunatic Asylum founded.[13]
• 1819 – St. Thomas Church built.[13]
• 1825 – Population: 150,000 (approximate).[14]
• 1830
  • Iron suspension bridge constructed across Dullye Creek.[5]
  • Gurdwara Nanak Shahi built.[15]
  • Population: 66,989.[16]
• 1834 – Ghaziuddin Haider becomes deputy governor.[11]
• 1835 – Dhaka Collegiate School established.[17]
• 1840 – Population bottoms out at 50,000.[18]
• 1846 – Union School is established to give the poor an English education.[19]
• 1850 – Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Bengal established.
• 1857 – Uprising of sepoys.[13][4]
• 1858
  • City becomes part of British Raj.
  • Mitford Hospital established.[10]
• 1864 – 1 August: Dacca Municipality established.[13]
• 1866 – Langar Khana (almshouse) founded.[10]
• 1872 – Population: 69,212.[16]
• 1874 – Madrasa established.[13]
• 1875 – Medical school established.[13]
• 1876 – Dhaka Survey School is established to teach surveying and road building in the vernacular.[20]
• 1878
  • Water-works in operation.[10]
  • Eden Girls' College established.[13]
• 1880 – Northbrook Hall built.
• 1881 – Population: 79,076.[10]
• 1882 – St Gregory's School founded.
• 1883 – Jagannth College founded.[13] (Now Jagannath University)
• 1885 – Revenue service begins on the Narayanganj-Dhaka portion of the Dacca State Railway.[21]
• 1886 – Mymensingh-Dhaka railway opens.[17]
• 1888
  • April: Tornado.[13]
  • Ahsan Manzil (Pink Palace) rebuilt.[22]
• 1892 – 16 March: Jeanette Rummary (as Jeanette Van Tassell) makes the first balloon ascension and parachute jump in Dhaka's history as a member of a travelling aerial exhibition led by Park Van Tassel.[23]
• 1897 – 12 June: Earthquake.[4]

20th century

1900s–1960s

• 1901 – Population: 90,542; district of Dacca: 2,649,522.[4]
• 1902 – April: Tornado.[13]
• 1904 – Curzon Hall built.
• 1905 – City becomes capital of newly formed East Bengal and Assam province.[18]
• 1906 – December: All India Muhammadan Educational Conference held.[24]
• 1909 – Baldha Garden laid out.
• 1911 – Dhaka Club organized.
• 1918 – Influenza outbreak.[12]
• 1921 – University of Dhaka established.[7]
• 1946 – Dhaka Medical College established.
• 1947 – City becomes capital of East Bengal, a province of newly independent Pakistan.[25]
• 1949 – All Pakistan Women's Association East Pakistan Branch organized.[11]
• 1951
  • Habib Productions theatre troupe active.[26]
  • Area of city: 85 square kilometers.[27]
  • Population: 411,279.[28]
• 1952 – Asiatic Society organized.
• 1953 – Holy Family Hospital built.
• 1954
  • Dhaka Stock Exchange incorporated.
  • Dacca Stadium and New Market built.
• 1955
  • City becomes capital of East Pakistan.
  • Bangla Academy established.[29]
• 1956
  • Drama Circle active.[26]
  • RAJUK Bhaban built.
• 1959 – Alliance Française de Dhaka founded.
• 1960 – Islamia Eye Hospital and Cholera Research Hospital founded.[7]
• 1961 – Tejgaon College established.
• 1964 – Bangabhaban reconstructed.
• 1965 – Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research and Jinnah College founded.^[citation needed]
• 1967 – Officers' Club established.
• 1968
  • Protests against Ayub Khan regime.^[citation needed]
  • Baitul Mukarram (mosque) built.

1970s–1990s

• 1970
  • November: Bhola cyclone.
  • Jiraz Art Gallery in business.[30]
• 1971
  • 7 March: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman speaks at Ramna Race Course Maidan.
  • 25 March: Bangladesh Liberation War begins; Dhaka University massacre.
  • 27 March: Ramna Kali Mandir (temple) razed.
  • 16 December: Instrument of Surrender signed.
  • City becomes capital of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
  • The Bangladesh Observer newspaper in publication.[31]
• 1972
  • Ekushey Book Fair begins.
  • Dhaka Shishu Hospital established.
  • Abahani Limited sports club formed.
  • Shaheed Minar (monument) rebuilt.
• 1973 – Dhaka Theatre established.[26]
• 1974
  • Abul Hasnat becomes mayor.[32]
  • Dhaka Zoo established.
  • Saju Art Gallery in business.[30]
  • Population: 1,730,253 urban agglomeration.[33]
• 1975
  • Islamic Foundation Bangladesh formed.
  • 15 August: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is assassinated.[34]
  • 3 November: Awami League leaders killed in Dhaka Central Jail.[7]
• 1976 – Dhaka Metropolitan Police department established.
• 1977 – 2 October: Coup attempt.[7]
• 1980 – School of the Society for Education in Theatre established.[26]
• 1981
  • Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation organized.[35]
  • Area of city: 510 square kilometers.[27]
  • Population: 3,440,147.[27]
• 1982
  • Mahamudul Hassan becomes mayor.[32]
  • Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban (parliament building) constructed.
  • Mirpur and Gulshan become part of Dhaka municipality.[36]
• 1983 – Bangladesh Shilpa Bank Bhaban built.
• 1985
  • December: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit held.
  • Bangladesh Bank Building and Janata Bank Bhaban constructed.
  • The National Library of Bangladesh moves into a new, purpose-built facility.[37]
• 1986 – Bangladesh Medical College established.
• 1989
  • Maziur Rhaman becomes mayor.[32]
  • Dhaka Pantomime group formed.^[citation needed]
• 1990 – Abul Hasnat becomes mayor.[32]
• 1991
  • Mirza Abbas becomes mayor.[32]
  • Daily Star newspaper begins publication.
  • Area of city: 1,353 square kilometers.[27]
  • Population: 6,887,459.[27][nb 1]
• 1993
  • Independent University, Bangladesh was established.
• 1994
  • Mohammad Hanif becomes mayor.[32]
  • Puppet Development Centre opens.[26]
• 1995
  • Pantapath road and Dhaka Nagar Bhaban constructed.
  • Dhaka Imperial College established.
• 1996 – East West University established.
• 1998 – Prothom Alo newspaper begins publication.
• 1999 – March: D-8 summit held.
• 2000
  • Chobi Mela International Photography Festival begins.[39]
  • Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts opens.[30]

21st century

• 2001
  • BRAC University established.
  • Area of city: 1,530 square kilometers.[27]
• 2002
  • Sadeque Hossain Khoka becomes mayor.[32]
  • China Bangladesh Friendship Center built.
• 2004 – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre and Bashundhara City (shopping mall) open.
• 2005
  • Jagannath College transformed into Jagannath University
  • Concord Grand built.
• 2008 – Population: 7,000,940.[40]
• 2011
  • Hay Festival begins.[41]
  • Population: 8,906,035.[42]
• 2012
  • April: Demonstration.[43]
  • Dhaka Gladiators cricket team formed.
  • City Centre (building) constructed.
  • City designated a Capital of Islamic Culture.[44]
• 2013
  • Protests in Shahbag.
  • 2013 Savar building collapse.[45]
• 2014 – Air pollution in Dhaka reaches annual mean of 85 PM2.5 and 150 PM10, much higher than recommended.[46]
• 2016 – 1 July: Gulshan attack.
• 2019 – 20 February: Chowk Bazaar fire.

See also

• History of Dhaka
• Dhaka District
• Timeline of Bangladeshi history
• List of cities proper by population density

Notes

1. According to the United Nations, population in Dhaka in 1991 was 3,397,187.[38]

References

1. "Dhaka". ArchNet. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012.
2. Grove 2009.
3. van Schendel 2009, p. xviii.
4. Britannica 1910.
5. Taylor 1840.
6. Government of Bengal 1896.
7. Syedur Rahman (2010), Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh (4th ed.), USA: Scarecrow Press, ISBN 9780810867666
8. S M Mahfuzur Rahman (2012), "Pagla Bridge", in Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal (ed.), Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.), Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
9. Romance 1906.
10. Hunter 1885.
11. Sirajul Islam; Ahmed A. Jamal, eds. (2012). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (2nd ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
12. Siddiqui 2010, p. 4.
13. Gazetteer of India 1908.
14. Seely 1825.
15. "Gurdwara Nanak Shahi, Dhaka – SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia". sikhiwiki.org. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
16. Hunter 1875.
17. Chambers 1901.
18. van Schendel 2009, p. xix.
19. Ahmed 1986, p. 61: "... founded a new school in the city, on 12 June 1846, under the name of the Union School ... for the express purpose of imparting English education to the needy. Within two years however ... the school could not be continued for lack of funds ... N. P. Pogose ... came to the school's rescue. The still famous Pogose School thus came into being."
20. Ahmed 1986, pp. 76–77: "... founding of a vernacular survey school attached to the Dacca College in January 1876, which offered a two-year course in surveying ... and in levelling and the elements of road-making ... In 1876, 29 students joined the Dacca Survey School."
21. Ahmed 1986, p. 99: "Dacca State Railway ... the Narayanganj-Dacca section was opened for passengers and goods on 4 January 1885."
22. "Dhaka Town". Dhakatown.net. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
23. Fogel, Gary (2021), Sky Rider: Park Van Tassel and the Rise of Ballooning in the West, University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 978-0-8263-6282-7
24. Bosworth 2007.
25. van Schendel 2009, p. xx.
26. Kabir Chowdhury (2001), "Bangladesh", in Don Rubin; et al. (eds.), World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia/Pacific, Routledge, ISBN 9780415260879
27. Siddiqui 2010, p. 6.
28. "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1955. New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations.
29. van Schendel 2009, p. xxi.
30. "The thriving art scene in Dhaka". Daily Star. Dhaka. 16 January 2009.
31. "Dhaka (Bangladesh) Newspapers". WorldCat. USA: Online Computer Library Center. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
32. "Mayor's Corner". Dhaka South City Corporation. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
33. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1976). "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1975. New York: United Nations. pp. 253–279. Dacca
34. van Schendel 2009, p. xxii.
35. "Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation". Retrieved 13 February 2013.
36. "About Us". Dhaka South City Corporation. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
37. van Schendel 2009, p. xxiii.
38. Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistics Division (1997). "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1995 Demographic Yearbook. New York: United Nations. pp. 262–321.
39. "Chobi Mela". Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
40. "Statistical Pocket Book, 2008" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2013.
41. "Hay Festival Dhaka Is Back Again". Global Voices. 7 November 2012.
42. "Table 8 – Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants", Demographic Yearbook – 2018, United Nations
43. Encyclopædia Britannica Book of the Year. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2013. ISBN 978-1-62513-103-4.
44. "Capitals of Islamic Culture". Morocco: Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
45. "A history of cities in 50 buildings", The Guardian, UK, 2015
46. "Ambient Air Quality Database". World Health Organization.

Bibliography

Published in 19th century

• Charles D'Oyly; John Landseer (1814). Antiquities of Dacca. London. OCLC 27939924.
• Jedidiah Morse; Richard C. Morse (1823), "Dacca", A New Universal Gazetteer (4th ed.), New Haven: S. Converse
• John B. Seely (1825). "(Dacca)". Road Book of India; or, East Indian Traveller's Guide. London: Richardson.
• James Taylor (1840), "The City", A Sketch of the Topography & Statistics of Dacca, Calcutta: G.H. Huttmann, Military Orphan Press
• J.H. Stocqueler (1854), "Dacca", Hand-book of British India (3rd ed.), London: Allen and Co.
• "Dacca". Street's Indian and Colonial Mercantile Directory for 1870. London: Street. 1870.
• William Wilson Hunter (1875), "Dacca City", Statistical Account of Bengal, London: Trübner
• "Dhakah", Handbook of the Bengal Presidency, London: J. Murray, 1882, OCLC 2093946
• Edward Balfour (1885), "Dacca", Cyclopaedia of India (3rd ed.), London: B. Quaritch
• William Wilson Hunter (1885), "Dacca", Imperial Gazetteer of India (2nd ed.), London: Trübner
• Government of Bengal, Public Works Department (1896). List of Ancient Monuments in the Dacca Division. Calcutta: Bengal Secretariat Press.
• Joachim Hayward Stocqueler (1900), "Dacca", The Oriental Interpreter and Treasury of East India Knowledge, London: Cox

Published in 20th century

• "Dacca", Chambers's Encyclopaedia, London: W. & R. Chambers, 1901
• F. B. Bradley-Birt (1906), The Romance of an Eastern Capital, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., OCLC 14390376, OL 6992126M
• "Dacca", Imperial Gazetteer of India, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908, p. 116+
• "Dacca" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). 1910. pp. 725–726.
• Basil Copleston Allen (1912), "Dacca (city)", Dacca, Eastern Bengal District Gazetteers, Allababad: Pioneer Press
• R. Hartmann (1913). "Dhaka". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9004082654.
• S.M. Taifoor (1965). Glimpses of Old Dhaka (2nd ed.). OCLC 759626436.
• Sharif Uddin Ahmed (1986). Dacca: A Study in Urban History and Development (1st ed.). London: Curzon Press. ISBN 0-913215-14-7.
• Sharuf Uddin Ahmed, ed. (1991). Dhaka: past present future. Dhaka: Asiatic Society. ISBN 984-512-335-X.
• Schellinger and Salkin, ed. (1996). "Dhaka". International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania. UK: Routledge. ISBN 9781884964046.
• Golam Rabbani (1997). Dhaka, from Mughal outpost to metropolis. Dhaka University Press. ISBN 984-05-1374-5.

Published in 21st century

• Jane Pryer (2003). Poverty and Vulnerability in Dhaka Slums: The Urban Livelihood Study. Ashgate. ISBN 0-7546-1864-1.
• C. Edmund Bosworth, ed. (2007). "Dacca". Historic Cities of the Islamic World. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill.
• "Dhaka". Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture. Oxford University Press. 2009.
• Kamal Siddiqui; Kaniz Siddique Jamshed Ahmed (2010). Social Formation in Dhaka, 1985–2005: A Longitudinal Study of Society in a Third World Megacity. England: Ashgate. ISBN 978-1-4094-1103-1.
• Ahsanul Kabir & Bruno Parolin (2012), Planning & Development of Dhaka – A Story of 400 Years – via International Planning History Society
• Willem van Schendel (2009). A History of Bangladesh. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-67974-9.

External links

• "Dhaka". Islamic Cultural Heritage Database. Istanbul: Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013.