Dhaka, Bangladesh (short layover) 2017

24 hours in Dhaka (June 2017)

• Even if I would not visit Dhaka in Bangladesh rather than Sylhet or the beaches in the Southeast, a visit to old Dhaka can be interesting
• Dhaka is one of the most populated cities in the world
• Life in Dhaka is simple and streets are full of people
• Chaotic, noisy, full of traffic and dirty in some areas, Dhaka also offers some nice markets, buildings, parks and traditions
• As a tourist you can feel locals staring at you at all times but I did not feel unsafety
• Main places visited: Ahsan Manzil, University, Lalbagh Fort & New Market
  

Ahsan Manzil:

• Pink palace built in the 19th century (closed when I visited), was the official residence of Nawab of Dhaka
  
  
• It is located next to Buriganga river, with plenty of delicious fruit markets and several small boats crossing the river
  
  
  
  

 University of Dhaka:

• This area looks cleaner and has lot of security
• I did not see anything of much interest but you might find interesting to read about the 1971 Dhaka University massacre
• Nearby you can find this nice park with plenty of sculptures of important people in the Indian subcontinent (however I only recognized Gandhi and everything is in Bengali)
  
  
  
  

Lalbagh Fort:

•  Built in the 17th century but incomplete by the Mughal dynasty, who built Taj Mahal several decades before
• Unfortunately closed when I visited
  

New Market:

• Plenty of clothes, electronics, books or food can be found here
• The area is very crowded both in the roads as in the market itself
  
  
  
  
• As previously said, Dhaka might not be a beautiful city but still can be interesting
• Hope it helps someone :)