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Sinar Daily
06-07-2025
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Dhaka: A thrilling shopping destination
A Dhaka tour is incomplete without visiting this charming area where the richness of merchandise is sure to dazzle you. 06 Jul 2025 02:00pm The city's upscale Gulshan neighbourhood, known for its modern hotels, corporate towers and shopping centres, continues to attract both locals and visitors. - AFP DHAKA - People rarely talk about Dhaka as a shopping tourism destination. This is because not much is known outside Bangladesh about the city's vibrant traditional bazaars, modern malls, lifestyle stores in affluent neighbourhoods, and the country's home-grown fashion brands. The city's upscale Gulshan neighbourhood, known for its modern hotels, corporate towers and shopping centres, continues to attract both locals and visitors. - Bernama photo What is well known, however, is that Bangladesh is one of the world's leading exporters of ready-made garments, textiles, and leather goods. I found myself amid an intense shopping scene while exploring Dhaka's vast urban landscape. New Market, which is actually one of the oldest and most popular marketplaces, and its surroundings of New Super Market, Chandni Chowk, and Gausia Market were teeming with people buying all kinds of stuff: clothes, fabrics, ornaments, watches, gifts, shoes, stationery, books, household goods, toys, electronics. A Dhaka tour is incomplete without visiting this charming area where the richness of merchandise is sure to dazzle you. Not far from this hub of never-ending shops is Bashundhara City, one of Dhaka's largest shopping malls. This mall has zones dedicated to different categories of products, such as electronics, apparel, abayas, and hijabs. A money changer is conveniently located on the ground floor. Bashundhara's food court offers a vast array of Bangladeshi and Asian cuisine. Another shopping haven is Jamuna Future Park, Bangladesh's biggest mall and one of the largest in South Asia. Here you can spend plenty of time and cash buying excellent local and imported brands. Police Plaza, Concord Shopping Mall, and Pink City Shopping Complex in the Gulshan area are also popular. Dhaka's shopping scene is lively and extensive, and it may easily take a week to explore its most interesting spots. You may, however, need to plan your visit to Dhaka carefully. The city's traffic-clogged roads can be frustrating. With a population of 23 million, the Dhaka metropolitan area ranks among Asia's largest conurbations. It is also one of the most densely populated areas in the world. A general view of the bustling New Market area, one of the popular shopping hubs in Dhaka. - Bernama photo Traffic jams in this slow-moving city can teach you that patience is indeed a great virtue. I had my share of its traffic woes during the seven days I spent in the city. On some occasions, I was caught in scrums of battery-powered traditional cycle rickshaws and electric rickshaws during peak rush hour, and once in a stop-and-crawl of more than two hours after arriving on a bus from the seaside tourist town of Cox's Bazar. But I must say I have had worse experiences in traffic chaos while travelling in some other Asian conurbations. Overall, I managed Dhaka's traffic rather well by not being on the road during peak commute hours and adjusting my schedule as per congestion conditions. Using compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered auto rickshaws and electric rickshaws for short distances offers better manoeuvrability when road conditions become difficult. Where you stay in Dhaka can also determine what kind of experience you gain in this megacity. The upscale Gulshan, Banani, and Dhanmondi neighbourhoods are often preferred by foreign visitors. These locations are comparable to some of Kuala Lumpur's best areas, with nice hotels, impressive corporate towers, diplomatic missions, and high-end restaurants. Dhaka is a wonderful blend of modern and traditional, and its shopping scene is thrilling. - BERNAMA More Like This
The Star
27-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Bangladesh strives to revive near-extinct Mughal-era muslin
FILE PHOTO: In this picture taken on January 8, 2022, a weaver uses a handloom to make traditional muslin garments at the Dhakai Muslin Project facility in Narayanganj. - AFP DHAKA: Bangladesh is undertaking a national effort to revive its legendary Dhaka muslin fabric, once hailed as "woven air" for its ethereal lightness and intricate craftsmanship during the Mughal era. The tradition of Dhaka muslin weaving, which was exported worldwide, from the Middle East to Europe, vanished nearly two centuries ago due to colonial suppression and the extinction of the rare cotton plant Phuti Karpas. Fortunately, it is now the focus of a determined revival project. Authorities have successfully rediscovered and cultivated Phuti Karpas, a native species once grown exclusively in the Dhaka region. "This project officially began at the end of 2018," said Md. Ayub Ali, project director of the Reviving the Technology of Muslin. He told Xinhua recently that the first phase of the project focused on restoring Dhaka muslin sarees by rediscovering their yarn and fabric-making techniques, as well as reviving the cultivation of Phuti Karpas, the key ingredient of Dhaka muslin. He noted that the team has successfully reproduced yarn with a 750 thread count, and that local artisans are now being trained to master the traditional techniques used to create muslin sarees. Officials said both artisans and researchers have painstakingly worked to relearn the incredibly complex spinning and weaving techniques required to produce authentic muslin. This involves spinning ultra-fine yarns historically reaching 300-500 or more and weaving them on traditional handlooms. Weavers carried out this task with their supple fingers and enviable eyesight. Achia Begum, one of the project's weavers, described the challenges of working with such delicate yarn. "We used to rub garlic on our hands at night to keep them soft in the morning, so we could handle the fine threads more easily," she said, adding "the cotton yarn is so soft and thin. so that this work requires enormous patience." Begum said that "I feel proud to be part of reviving something I've only heard about since childhood and read about in books." Mohsina Akhter, now a supervisor at the Dhaka muslin weaving center, said it took her two years to learn the technique. After excelling during training, she became both a trainer and a supervisor. "I trained 11 new weavers, many of whom had never seen muslin before. It was difficult, but now they can all work independently," she said. The Bangladesh Handloom Board (BHB), under the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, plays a key role in funding the revival project, as well as overseeing cultivation, research and training programmes. BHB Chairman Abu Ahmed Siddique said, "muslin has deep historical roots, dating back to the Middle Ages. Dhaka cotton was famous worldwide, and our weavers were once prosperous. But British colonisation, mass production of yarn and restrictive trade policies devastated the industry." Siddique emphasised two key reasons for reviving muslin. "Firstly, we want to dig out our history and to revive our history," Siddique said, saying "It is a very glorious history of Dhaka and Bangladesh. Still Bangladesh is thriving in exporting garments. So why don't we dig out and restore our history and let the world know what kind of sophistication was available in this part." "Secondly, we are looking for fusion so that we can involve our investors and our modern technology with the ancient one," he said. The second phase began in 2023, focusing on conducting extensive research to ensure the sustainability of the revived muslin production process and to promote the private sector's participation. Siddique noted that muslin was never confined to the elite, it was worn by people of all classes. "Now, we are working to revive the original muslin and let the world rediscover its elegance," he said. - Xinhua
The Star
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Bangladesh orders fugitive ex-leader Hasina to return to face trial
FILE PHOTO: Students chant slogans near a vandalised mural of Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during a protest demanding accountability and trial against Hasina, near Dhaka University in the capital on August 12, 2024. - AFP DHAKA: Bangladesh's war crimes court ordered fugitive ex-leader Sheikh Hasina on Monday (June 16) to return to face trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity. Hasina, 77, fled Dhaka by helicopter to India in August 2024 at the culmination of a student-led mass uprising. She has defied an extradition order to return to Bangladesh. Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina's government launched a crackdown in a failed bid to cling to power, according to the United Nations. Hasina and former senior figures connected to her ousted government and her now-banned party, the Awami League, are being prosecuted in Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal. Prosecutors have filed five charges against Hasina, including abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy and failure to prevent mass murder - charges that amount to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law. "The court directed the prosecution team to issue a notice as soon as possible summoning them to appear before the court," chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam said on Monday. The trial will resume on June 24 without her if she fails to return. The prosecution argues that Hasina ordered security forces, through directives from the interior ministry and police, to crush the protests. Hasina is on trial with two other officials. One of them, former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who faces similar charges, is also a fugitive. The second, ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, is in custody and was in court on Monday. The prosecution of senior figures from Hasina's government is a key demand of several of the political parties now jostling for power. The interim government has said it will hold elections in April 2026, although some parties are pushing for an earlier vote. - AFP
