Chittagong

Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chaṭṭagrām) is the major sea-port and second largest city of Bangladesh. It is located in the south-eastern portion of the country near Myanmar (Burma). The city was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, which ends nearby, in the Bay of Bengal. Chittagong has a population of over 3.5 million, and is continuing to grow. One of the cleanest cities of Bangladesh, it has had an ancient reputation of great mystique and beauty.

Places of interest

The beautiful buildings, mosques and shrines of Chittagong bear witness to its history from the ancient times to the present. Most of the old and new buildings of the city are built on top of low hills and hillocks and also along the valleys and plains. The massive Court Buildings which accommodate the Civil Courts, Criminal Courts and the offices of the Divisional Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and the District and Session Judges are on top of Fairy Hill. The top of this hill, offers a panoramic view of the town below. One can see the Karnafuli River up to its mouth and the Port area along its bank, the Deang and Banskhali Ranges to the south and the Hill Tracts to the east. All along the foothills are situated the General Post Office, the Municipal High School, New Market, and the Chittagong Development Authority Building. The General Hospital stands on top of the Rangmahal hill. The Telegraph Office, Divisional Forest Office, residences of the Divisional Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner are situated on top of a hill range known as the Tempest Hills.

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Chittagong is the headquarters of the Eastern Zone of Bangladesh Railway. Established in 1891 as the Assam Bengal Railway, it later came to be known as Eastern Bengal Railway and then after 1947 as Pakistan Eastern Railway. The area from the Chittagong railway station up to Pahartali and the foothills through which the railway track runs to the north were developed by the railway authorities. This area is known as the Railway Colony and is one of the most attractive localities in the city. Beautiful bungalows were built on every vantage point on the hills. The Railway Club, the staff quarters, the General Office of the Railways, the Railway Hospital, the Pahartali workshop and other institutions are located in this area.

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The Chittagong Circuit house was built by the British in 1913 on a beautiful location in the city. Later it was turned into a palatial building and used as a temporary residential accommodation for visiting Government high officials. After the murder of President Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981 in room No 4 of the Circuit House, the Circuit House was converted into the Zia Smriti Jadughar (Zia Memorial Museum).

Related Topics:
30 May - 1981

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The War Cemetery on Badshah Mia Road is another place of historic interest. It contains the graves of 755 soldiers of the Allied Forces who laid down their lives on the Indo-Burmese front during World War II. Most of the soldiers buried there were from Australia, Britain, Canada, East and West Africa, British India and New Zealand. The total area of the cemetery is eight acres (32,000 m²) and it is protected and maintained by the Commonwealth Graves Commission.

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A historic fort known as the Andar Killa stood on top of a mound in the city centre. Describing the fort, Shihabuddin Talish wrote, "In strength it rivals the rampart of Alexander and its towers (buruj) are high as the falk-ul-buruj." Today no trace of the fort remains except the name, as it was utterly destroyed by the Mughals. A shopping centre by the name of Andar Killa was once very popular but Reazuddin Bazar to the west of Kutchery hills and the New Market close by have robbed it of much of its importance.

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Another famous place for the wholesale and retail trade in the city is Chaktai. It is actually the old and abandoned bed of the river Karnafuli. Local merchants bring in their goods by boats and sampans through a canal that is known as the Chaktai Canal. Most of the offices of the wealthy businessmen, banks and insurance companies used to be located their and nearby Khatunganj-Amir Market Area. 'Amir Market' one of the oldest trading place was founded in 1944 by Mohammad Solaiman Chowdhury of Chandgaon, Chittagong. Agrabad is now the dominant commercial area in modern Chittagong.

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