Writer Samai spoke to the Urban Society Group in
India, who are working hard to save some of Dhaka’s
most spectacular heritage buildings.
legacy of ruling powers, from Bud-
dhist and Hindu dynasties to Af-
ghan governors from the Delhi
Sultanate, to the Moghuls and the
British before the Partition, when
India was divided into (East and
West) Pakistan and India. Bangla-
desh eventually went on to gain in-
dependence from Pakistan in 1971.
In Puran Dhaka, the oldest part of
the capital, it is possible to trace the
city’s history over the past 400 years
to include the British Raj, Mughals
and Afghan traders. The city flour-
ished under Mughal rule, and under
the British, it grew further. It is a city
with a Mughal skeleton, but Coloni-
al flesh - the signs of which are still
intact the many old buildings scat-
tered amongst the concrete jungle
that now exists in its stead.
What is The Urban Study
Group?
The Urban Study Group is a vol-
untary organisation that has been
campaigning for the preservation of
heritage buildings in Puran Dhaka
since 2004. We are mostly a group
of architects, with a mix of members
of the civil society and local youths.
Our campaigns are primarily self-fi-
nanced.
What prompted you to
found The Urban Study
Group?
DHAKA, BANGLADESH. Situ-
ated in the lower reaches of
the fertile Ganges delta, Dha-
ka has been home to human
settlement since the 7th cen-
tury. It was, however, during
the Mughal rule in the 1600s
that the city flourished. Traces
of the era are still alive in Pu-
ran (Old) Dhaka, in its archi-
tecture, culture and cuisine.
However, it is fast disappear-
ing amidst a frenzy of urban-
ization.
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The Urban Study Group (USG)
comprises concerned archi-
tects and local volunteers on
a crusade to protect the herit-
age and cultural fabric of Pu-
ran Dhaka, calling to preserve
over 2,500 historic buildings.
While on a recent trip to the
city, I met with Taimur Islam,
architect and founder of The
Urban Study Group. Our chat
began in his modest offices,
amidst towering tomes and
rolls of fading blueprints. As
we delved deeper into the
issue, he invited me to join him
on one of USG’s famous walks
around Puran Dhaka, so I could
learn, first-hand, about the issues
at large. Below are excerpts from
our conversations. Please note
that some of Islam’s words have
been translated and modified for
clarity and context.
A city’s history is etched in its
architecture - how far back
can we trace Dhaka’s history?
Dhaka has borne witness to a rich
In 2004, a terrible multi-storey
building collapse in Shakhari Bazaar
(in Puran Dhaka), killed 19 people.
It instigated heated debates about
the future of the oldest part of na-
tion’s capital. Citing congestion,
unplanned and unsafe structures,
critics called for the mass demo-
lition of all dilapidated buildings,
including buildings of significant
cultural and historic value. The gov-
ernment formed a technical com-
mittee, which, after hurried side-
walk surveys, earmarked around
800 structures to be torn down.
Conservationists rallied, advocating
for the protection and restoration of
all structures of historic and cultural
relevance.
As a student of architecture, I had
deep ties to Shakhari Bazaar. I
spent a lot of my time in studying
the unique attributes of the area.
Shakhari Bazaar is the oldest sur-
viving mohalla (traditional neigh-
bourhood) in Dhaka, dating back
to the pre-Mughal era. I have an
appreciation for the history and
cultural heritage that ancient archi-
tecture affords. For centuries, this
neighbourhood has been home to
traditional artisans, the Shakharis,
renowned for making conch-shell
bangles and other religious arte-
facts. If you look beyond the narrow
and congested roads and the gen-
eral disrepair, you will see several
buildings whose foundations date
back to the Mughal and Coloni-
al eras, with intricate facades that
speak volumes about a city’s history
and culture.
Alarmed at the prospect of losing
an integral part of Dhaka’s history,
I, along with my ex-wife, also an ar-
chitect, and other concerned mem-
bers of the community, formed the
“Save Shakhari Bazaar” campaign.
We focused on creating awareness
amongst media and donor agencies
to stop the demolition of historic
buildings. Our small group soon ex-
panded to include members of the
local community and thus began
Urban Study Group.
What other dangers do
these heritage buildings
face?
These buildings are in danger of be-
ing demolished due to rapid urban-
ization. Urban planning in Dhaka
has been spontaneous and building
regulation codes are often flouted.
There is little coordination between
different government jurisdictions
and various loopholes. In trying to
contain the city’s urban sprawl, pol-
icymakers have had to compromise
on heritage protection.
There is also a risk of losing these
buildings owing to society’s percep-
tion of wealth. In the race towards
development, urban dwellers value
modern developments, not the old.
In their eyes, these old buildings are
old-fashioned, uncomfortable and
are not deemed as symbols of pros-
perity.
What were some of the
major challenges you
faced on your journey?
There have been many obstacles.
Take for example, when we received
a small grant from UNESCO for the
restoration of notable buildings in
Puran Dhaka. However, intensive
repairs were required, and the del-
icate task of rebuilding required
teams of craftsmen whose arts were
all but lost. We had to change tact
“
Dhaka has borne
witness to a rich
legacy of ruling
powers, from
Buddhist and
Hindu dynasties
“
SAVING DHAKA’S HERITAGE
- ONE BUILDING AT A TIME
and decided focus more intensively
on raising awareness. So we hosted
an exhibition titled “Save Shakhari
Bazaar” using photographs to map
the area and superimposing notable
buildings upon the more recent de-
velopments, allowing viewers to get a
sense of the scale of the issue at hand.
Furthermore, many notable build-
ings in Puran Dhaka which currently
have protected status, are merely on
paper. In reality, many of the struc-
tures have been encroached upon
by surrounding concrete buildings,
with little consideration for their vis-
age or conservation. Boro Katra, – a
Mughal caravanserai built in 1646 and
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