The pink facade
Arcades and a distinctive dome.
Shafiul Islam Shaikot — CC BY 4.0 · Francisco Anzola from United States — CC BY 2.0 · Lahsim Niasoh — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Parvezahmed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · DeloarAkram — CC BY 4.0
Ahsan Manzil is a historic pink palace in Kumartoli, on the banks of the Buriganga River in Dhaka, and was the residence and seat of the Nawabs of Dhaka in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is now a museum under the Bangladesh National Museum. Many call it the Pink Palace, and it is among the finest and most photogenic buildings of the old city. In Mughal times the site held a garden house and then a small palace called Rang Mahal, built by Sheikh Enayetullah. After it passed to the Nawab family, Khwaja Abdul Ghani named it after his son Khwaja Ahsanullah, and the present palace rose between 1859 and 1872 in the Indo-Saracenic style. A tornado damaged it in 1888, and parts were rebuilt. You climb a broad stairway from the garden to a long pink facade with arcades and arches, topped by a distinctive dome. Inside, the halls show the family's furniture and portraits and pieces from the political and social history of Dhaka. On the other side you look over the river and its crowded boats, and the bank deserves a short look afterwards. It is about 900 m in a straight line from the Star Mosque and about 2 km from Lalbagh Fort. Guides say it closes every Thursday, so plan for that. The stairway gets crowded at weekends.
Arcades and a distinctive dome.
Rising from the garden.
The Nawabs' furniture, portraits.
Kumartoli, on the Buriganga River, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Guides say every Thursday, so check before you go.
Yes, the palace overlooks the Buriganga and its many boats.
