Unseen Bangladesh
Dhaka District · Dhaka Division · লালবাগ কেল্লা
Lalbagh Fort travel guide
An unfinished fort begun in 1678 under the Mughal subahdar Prince Azam Shah. Inside are Pari Bibi's tomb, an audience hall and a mosque.
At a glance
- Construction began
- 1678
- Built by
- Prince Muhammad Azam, then Shaista Khan
- Original name
- Qila Aurangabad
- Opening hours
- Closed Sunday, half day Monday
History and details
In 1678 Prince Muhammad Azam, the third son of Emperor Aurangzeb, began building this fort on the bank of the Buriganga while subahdar of Bengal, naming it 'Qila Aurangabad'. He was called back to Delhi before it was finished.
The next subahdar, Shaista Khan, continued the work. But after the death of his beloved daughter Pari Bibi in 1684 he considered the fort unlucky and stopped building, so it remains unfinished to this day. Pari Bibi was buried in the middle of the fort; her mausoleum of marble, black basalt and tiles is the fort's most beautiful building.
The fort also has a three-domed mosque, the Diwan-i-Am (Shaista Khan's residence and audience hall, now a museum) and a hammam (bath house). During the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny Indian soldiers fought the British here. The Department of Archaeology later restored the fort and opened it to visitors.
Things to do
- See the decoration of Pari Bibi's mausoleum
- See Mughal weapons, clothes and coins in the Diwan-i-Am museum
- Watch the evening light-and-sound show (on certain days)
- Eat Old Dhaka biryani when you come out
How to get to Lalbagh Fort
At Lalbagh in Old Dhaka; by rickshaw or CNG. Closed on Sundays.
Where to stay
- Pan Pacific Sonargaon and InterContinental Dhaka (luxury)
- Plenty of mid-range hotels in Gulshan-Banani, Paltan and Farmgate (৳2,000–6,000)
What to eat
Old Dhaka kacchi biryani, Haji's biryani, bakarkhani, borhani, Nanna Mia's morog polao
Good to know
- Closed all day Sunday and half day Monday — check the hours before going
- A light-and-sound show is held in the evening (on certain days)
- Try Old Dhaka's biryani and bakarkhani nearby
More to see nearby
- Dhakeshwari Temple (1 km)
- Ahsan Manzil (3 km)
- Star Mosque and Armenian Church (3 km)
- Chawkbazar Shahi Mosque (2 km)
More places to visit in Dhaka district
- Ahsan Manzil — The pink palace of the Nawabs of Dhaka on the Buriganga, now a museum. You can see furniture and pictures from the Nawabs' time.
- National Parliament House — World-famous modern architecture designed by Louis Kahn. The lake around it and Chandrima Udyan are lovely for an afternoon stroll.
- Hatirjheel — A lake, bridges and walkways in the middle of the city. Evening lights and water taxis are popular.
- National Museum — The country's largest museum; huge collections of archaeology, history, the Liberation War and folk art.
- Star Mosque — A beautiful 18th-century mosque decorated with star patterns in broken china.
- Dhakeshwari Temple — Dhaka's oldest temple and the national temple, thought to be linked to the city's name.
- Armenian Church — The Armenians' church, built in 1781, witness to Old Dhaka's multi-ethnic history.
- Liberation War Museum — A modern museum of documents, photos and relics of the 1971 Liberation War.