Lesson 4/45 min
National landmarks and institutions
National Memorial
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Location | Nabinagar, Savar (Dhaka) |
| Foundation stone | Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 16 December 1972 |
| Inaugurated | Lt Gen Hussain Muhammad Ershad, 16 December 1982 |
| Architect | Syed Mainul Hossain |
| Other name | Sommilito Proyas (united effort) |
| Height | 150 ft (46.5 m) |
| Replica | Addu City, Maldives (11 November 2011); sculptor Hamidur Zaman Khan (Khandokar) |
What the 7 walls stand for
- 1952 Language Movement
- 1954 United Front election
- 1956 constitution movement
- 1962 education movement
- 1966 Six-Point movement
- 1969 mass uprising
- 1971 Liberation War
Watch out: Zubair's ‘not wrong, but correct’ box: many books are confused about the 7 pillars. In truth the 7 triangular walls stand for the 7 events above (sources: Wikipedia, Banglapedia).
National Museum and National Zoo
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| National Museum: location | Shahbag, Dhaka |
| Earlier name and founding | Dhaka Museum; founded 20 March 1913, formally opened 7 August 1913 |
| ‘Bangladesh National Museum’ | Inaugurated 17 November 1983 |
| Quarterly journal | Jadughar Samachar |
| Branches (Khandokar) | Ahsan Manzil Museum, Dhaka (1992); Zia Memorial Museum, Chattogram (1993); Osmani Museum, Sylhet (1987); Zainul Abedin Collection, Mymensingh (1975); Kangal Harinath Memorial Museum, Kushtia (2017); Polli Kobi Jasimuddin Museum, Faridpur (2017) |
| National Zoo | Mirpur, Dhaka; opened 23 June 1974 (earlier at the Supreme Court premises); formerly Dhaka Zoo, renamed 5 February 2015; under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock |
Parliament House (Zubair)
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Location | Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka |
| Architect | Louis I. Kahn (born in Estonia, a US citizen) |
| Construction began / inaugurated | 1961 / 1982 (then President Abdus Sattar) |
| Area and lake | 215 acres; Crescent Lake |
| Earlier legislature | Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University (East Bengal legislature) |
| Award | Aga Khan Award, 1989 |
| Other | Single chamber; symbol shapla |
National ID, children's park and maps
- ‘Operation Nabajatra’: the photo voter list and national ID programme; started in 2007 under army supervision
- National Identity Registration Wing; the smart card carries 32 kinds of data, offers 22 services, lasts 10 years; France helped make it
- National Children's Park (Khandokar): founded 1979, Shahbag, architect Samsul Wares, run by Dhaka South City Corporation. Zubair calls it the ‘Shahid Zia Shishu Park’ as the national park
- Maps: a topographic map shows the exact place of all natural and man-made things, in both 2D and 3D
- Map scale 1 : 10,000 = 1 cm on the map is 10,000 cm on the ground
The Sundarbans (Khandokar)
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Identity | National forest; main tree sundari; the world's largest mangrove forest |
| World Heritage | UNESCO, 6 December 1997; number 798 on the list |
| Spread | Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat |
| Area | About 10,000 sq km in all; the Bangladesh part 6,017 sq km (60.17%, Forest Department) or 62% |
| Sanctuary | Declared a wildlife sanctuary on 6 April 1996 |
| Dolphin sanctuaries | Ganges and Irrawaddy dolphins: Dhangmari, Sharankhola and Chandpai |
| Places of interest | Katka, Hiron Point, Dublar Char, Putni Island, Nilkamal |
Check yourself
Who designed the National Memorial and how tall is it?
At a glance
- 1
National Memorial: Nabinagar, Savar; architect Syed Mainul Hossain; 150 ft; foundation 16 December 1972, inaugurated 1982.
- 2
7 walls = 1952, 1954, 1956, 1962, 1966, 1969, 1971.
- 3
National Museum in Shahbag; earlier Dhaka Museum (1913); ‘Bangladesh National Museum’ 17 November 1983.
- 4
National Zoo in Mirpur, 23 June 1974; France helped with the smart NID; Operation Nabajatra 2007.
- 5
Sundarbans: UNESCO 6 December 1997 (no. 798), the largest mangrove forest.