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| Ahsan Manzil | |
|---|---|
আহসান মঞ্জিল | |
 | |
 Interactive map of the Ahsan Manzil area | |
| Former names | Rangmahal |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture |
| Location | Kumartoli,Dhaka,Bangladesh, Bangladesh |
| Coordinates | 23°42′30.95″N90°24′21.81″E / 23.7085972°N 90.4060583°E /23.7085972; 90.4060583 |
| Construction started | 1859 (1859) |
| Completed | 1872 (1872) |
| Owner | Bangladesh National Museum |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | Martin and Co. |
| Website | |
| www | |
Ahsan Manzil (Bengali:আহসান মঞ্জিল,romanized: Ahôsān Mônjil) is a historical palace located in theKumartoli area besideBuriganga River ofDhaka,Bangladesh.[1][2] It was formerly the residence and seat of theNawab of Dhaka and has been designated anOld Dhaka Heritage Site.[3] It now serves as a museum.[4]
During theMughal era, Sheikh Enayetullah, the thenZamindar of the Jalalpur Pargana (Faridpur-Barisal), had a garden house on this property and later added a palace, which he calledRang Mahal.[5][6] He was buried on the northeast corner of the palace yard (the gravesite was ruined in early 1900s). Around 1740, his son, Sheikh Matiullah, sold the property to French traders, who erected a trading house beside the property.[5] On 22 June 1757, the French left the trading house and in 1785, transferred the property to a French tradesman named Champigni, and retaken it at 1801.[6] After the1814 Treaty of Paris, they claimed all their left properties at Dhaka, and in 1827 the property was again returned to the French.[6] Eventually, they decided to sell all their properties in Dhaka. In 1830,Khwaja Alimullah purchased the property from them.[3] Alimullah renovated the property, turning the trading house into a residence and adding a stable and a family mosque. After his death, his sonKhwaja Abdul Ghani named the property Ahsan Manzil after his son,Khwaja Ahsanullah. He hired Martin and Company, a European construction and engineering firm, to make a master plan for their residence.[3] The palace was constructed during 1859–1872.[3] The old building was renamed Andar Mahal and the new building, Rangmahal.[7][8]
On 7 April 1888, a tornado severely damaged Ahsan Manzil and it was temporarily abandoned.[9] With the exception of Rangmahal, which only required repairs, all buildings had to be rebuilt. Abdul Ghani and Ahsanullah continued renovations. What was previously the French trading house was rebuilt as a two-storey building similar to the Rangmahal. A wooden bridge connected the first floors of the two buildings. The palace was repaired again following the1897 Assam earthquake. It became aslum for a period after the government acquired it in 1952 under theEast Bengal Estate Acquisition Act.
TheGovernment of Bangladesh acquired the palace and property in 1985 and began renovating it, taking care to preserve the remaining structure.[9] Renovations were completed in 1992 and the ownership was transferred to theBangladesh National Museum. Part of the northern side of the property was given to theDhaka City Corporation while half of the Andarmahal and the Nawab residential area were beyond acquisition.[10] Just under 5 acres (220,000 sq ft) was then used for the museum.[11]
Ahsan Manzil was built on a 1 metre (3.3 ft) raised platform and the palace measured 125.4 metres (137.1 yd) by 28.75 metres (31.44 yd). There are 5 metres (16 ft)porticos on the northern and southern sides of the palace. The building itself faces theBuriganga River. On the riverside is a stairway leading up to the secondportal. A fountain previously sat at the foot of the stairs but was not rebuilt. Along the north and south sides of the building areverandas with openterraces.
The palace is divided into the eastern side, the Rangmahal, and the western side, the Andarmahal. The Rangmahal features the dome, adrawing room, acard room, a library, astate room, and two guest rooms. The Andarmahal has a ballroom, a storeroom, an assembly room, a chest room, a dining hall, a music room, and a few residential rooms. Both the drawing room and the music room have artificial vaulted ceilings. The dining and assembly rooms have white, green, and yellow ceramic tiles.[citation needed]
The dome is at the center of the palace and is complex in its design. The room at its base is square with brickwork placed around the corners to make it circular.Squinches were added to the roof corners to give the room an octagonal shape and slant gradually to give the dome the appearance of alotus bud. The dome's peak is 27.13 metres (89.0 ft) tall.[12]
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High-profile visitors to the area, includingLord Dufferin, often boarded at the palace. TheAll India Muslim League emerged from this property. This is the former official seat of theNawab of Dhaka.[6][13]
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