During the Mughal period, gardens were a ubiquitous element of the city landscape. Dhaka, once capital of the Bengal Subah, was no exception, and the names of some areas of the city such as Shahbag, Lalbag,

Dhaka, one of the oldest metropolises in this part of the subcontinent, has crossed the enviable milestone of 400 years. The city, founded by the Mughals in the 17th century, was the economic capital of the Mughal Empire, and later saw rapid growth in urbanization during the British colonization in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Almost lost amid negligence and encroachment, it is hard to believe, Chhoto Katra was one of the places from where Mughal Subedar Shaista Khan ruled Bengal. Chhoto Katra was built in 1670 by Shaista Khan on the bank of the Buriganga.

If you walk down the Farashganj road near the banks of the Buriganga river, you will come across the Northbrook Hall library. From the outside it would look like an abandoned building. But inside, it has hundreds of rare books—published in the nineteenth century—some of which may not be available elsewhere in the world.