Pari Bibi's tomb
A dome and red facade.
Anik Sarker — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anik Sarker — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pinu Rahman — CC BY-SA 4.0 · SabbirAbeir (md sabbir) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tasmin Tripty — CC BY-SA 4.0
Lalbagh Fort is a historic Mughal fort in the old city of Dhaka, named after the Lalbagh district, meaning red garden. It was first called Fort Aurangabad. It is among the main sights of the capital, as its gardens and paths offer a rare green space amid very crowded districts, drawing locals and visitors alike. Prince Muhammad Azam Shah, son of Emperor Aurangzeb, began it in 1678. After he was recalled, Shaista Khan, the Mughal governor of Bengal, oversaw the work. Building stopped after the death of his daughter Pari Bibi, who was buried inside the fort, as Shaista Khan saw the place as a bad omen, and it remains unfinished to this day. You see the tomb of Pari Bibi at the centre with its dome and red facade, with long paths, pools and small stone channels before it. Around the site are the audience hall, a three-domed mosque and red walls and gates. Modern buildings rise around the gardens, and this contrast between past and city is part of the appeal. It is about 1.4 km in a straight line from the Star Mosque and about 2 km from Ahsan Manzil. Traffic in Old Dhaka is very slow, so start early and take a rickshaw for the last stretch. Morning suits it better than midday.
A dome and red facade.
Long paths in the garden.
At the edge of the site.
Lalbagh, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh
Building stopped after Pari Bibi's death, as her father saw the place as a bad omen.
By taxi to the district, then by rickshaw, as the streets are crowded and narrow.
