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Sylhet সিলেট | |
|---|---|
  Sylhet Location of Sylhet in Bangladesh Show map of Sylhet division Sylhet Sylhet (Bangladesh) Show map of Bangladesh | |
| Coordinates:24°54′N91°52′E / 24.900°N 91.867°E /24.900; 91.867 | |
| Country |  Bangladesh |
| Division | Sylhet Division |
| District | Sylhet |
| Municipal Board | 1867 |
| Sylhet City Corporation | 9 April 2001 |
| Metropolitan city | 31 March 2009[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Body | Sylhet City Corporation |
| • Administrator | Abu Ahmad Siddiqui |
| • Chief Executive Officer | Md. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury |
| • City Council | 42 constituencies |
| • Parliament | 1 constituencies |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 58.74 km2 (22.68 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 177.81 km2 (68.65 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
| • Urban | 712,288 |
| • Urban density | 12,000/km2 (31,000/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 896,331 |
| • Metro density | 5,000/km2 (13,000/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Sylheti |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BST) |
| Postal code | 3100 |
| HDI (2022) | 0.669[3] average ·9th of 20 |
| International airport | Osmani International Airport |
| Regional Calling code | +880821 |
| Police | Sylhet Metropolitan Police |
| Website | scc |
Sylhet (Sylheti: ꠍꠤꠟꠐ;Bengali:সিলেট;IPA:[sileʈ]) is ametropolitan city in the north eastern region ofBangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both theSylhet District and theSylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of theSurma River and, as of 2024, has a population of 999,374 making it thefifth-largest city inBangladesh.[5]
Sylhet is known for its tea plantations and natural scenery.[6] The region has been inhabited since ancient times, and since the city's establishment in the 14th century has been ruled by various dynasties including theMughals, theBritish, and theNawabs of Bengal. The city is also home to several important landmarks, such as one of the Islamic sites in Bangladesh, theShah Jalal Dargah, which attracts thousands of pilgrims annually.[7] Sylhet is also the first city in the country to have a road with no overhead cable.[8]
Sylhet is one of the most economically important cities in Bangladesh afterDhaka andChittagong.[9] A major commercial and financial center, Sylhet is home to several multinational companies and industries, including the tea industry, which generates a significant amount of revenue for the city. The city has a diverse population, withBengalis,Manipuris and other ethnic groups living together. Sylhet has diverse transport infrastructure, with a modern airport, railway station, and bus terminals that connect it to other parts of the country.[10] The city also has several educational institutions, includingSylhet Agricultural University,Shahjalal University of Science and Technology andSylhet Cadet College.
Sylhet is theanglicisation ofশিলহট (Śilhôṭ), one of the archaic native names for the city.[citation needed] The local name is generally thought to be directly derived fromশ্রীহট্ট (Śrīhaṭṭa), theSanskrit name of the city.[11] The city of Śrīhaṭṭa takes its name fromŚrīhaṭṭanātha, thetutelary deity of the Nātha dynasty who promoted the early settlement ofNāthas in the Surma andBarak valleys between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, founding the Śrīhaṭṭajanapada and establishingŚrīhaṭṭanātha idols across the region.[12] The laterHindumonarchs of Sylhet, such asGour Govinda, continued to pay tribute to the deity asHāṭkeśvara orHaṭṭanātha as evident from theDevipurana and copper-plate inscriptions.[13]
In 1303, the Sultan of LakhnautiShamsuddin Firoz Shahconquered Sylhet by defeatingGour Govinda.[14] Sylhet became a part of theBengal Sultanate. In the16th century, Sylhet was controlled by theBaro-Bhuiyanzamindars and later became a sarkar (district) of theMughal Empire.[15] Sylhet emerged after 1612 as the Mughals' most significant imperial outpost in Bengal east of Dhaka, and its importance remained as such throughout the seventeenth century.[16]British rule began in the 18th century under the administration of theEast India Company. Sylhet became a key source oflascars in the British Empire due in part to its ancient seafaring tradition. The Sylhet municipal board was established in 1867.[17] Originally part of theBengal Presidency and laterEastern Bengal and Assam, the town became part of Colonial Assam in 1874. A devastating earthquake demolished almost the entire town on12 June 1897 following which a modern and European model new town was built on the wreckage.[citation needed] From the beginning of the 20th century, the importance of Sylhet increased with the establishment of the tea industry.[18]
In 1947, following areferendum and thepartition of British India, Sylhet became part of East Pakistan.[14] In 1995, the Government of Bangladesh declared Sylhet as the sixthdivisional headquarters of the country.[19] Sylhet has played a vital role in theEconomy of Bangladesh. Several of Bangladesh'sfinance ministers have been members of parliament from the city of Sylhet.Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran was a long time mayor of Sylhet.Humayun Rashid Choudhury, a diplomat from Sylhet, served asPresident of the UN General Assembly and Speaker of theBangladesh National Parliament.
In 2001, the municipality was upgraded to theSylhet City Corporation. It was made a metropolitan city in 2009.[20]
Sylhet is located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh within the Sylhet Division, the Sylhet District, and Sylhet Sadar Upazila. Sylhet has a typical Bangladeshitropical monsoon climate (KöppenAm) bordering on ahumid subtropical climate (Cwa) at higher elevations. The rainy season runs from April to October, and is generally hot and humid with heavy showers and thunderstorms almost every day. The shorter dry season runs from November to February, with very warm and fairly clear weather. Nearly 80% of the annual average rainfall of 4,200 millimetres (170 in) occurs between May and September.[21]
The city is located within a topographically distinctive region of Bangladesh characterized by dramatic hills and basins. Thephysiography of Sylhet consists mainly of hill soils and encompasses a few large depressions known locally as "beels," which are frequentlyoxbow lakes caused by tectonic subsidence duringthe earthquake of 1762.
Geologically, the region is complex and diverse; higher-elevation regions date partly to the Plio-Miocene age. Available limestone deposits in different parts of the region suggest that the whole area was under the ocean in the Oligo-Miocene. In the last 150 years, three major earthquakes have hit the city with magnitude of at least 7.5 on theRichter Scale, most recently in 1918.[22]
| Climate data for Sylhet (1991–2020, extremes 1952-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.5 (94.1) | 35.0 (95.0) | 38.8 (101.8) | 40.5 (104.9) | 38.2 (100.8) | 39.6 (103.3) | 38.4 (101.1) | 37.9 (100.2) | 38.3 (100.9) | 37.2 (99.0) | 35.3 (95.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 40.5 (104.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) | 28.2 (82.8) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.6 (88.9) | 32.2 (90.0) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.3 (90.1) | 31.8 (89.2) | 29.7 (85.5) | 26.8 (80.2) | 30.4 (86.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.4 (65.1) | 20.8 (69.4) | 24.3 (75.7) | 26.0 (78.8) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.6 (81.7) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.2 (82.8) | 27.9 (82.2) | 26.7 (80.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 19.7 (67.5) | 24.8 (76.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.8 (49.6) | 12.4 (54.3) | 17.4 (63.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 23.0 (73.4) | 24.8 (76.6) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.3 (77.5) | 24.8 (76.6) | 22.3 (72.1) | 16.6 (61.9) | 11.8 (53.2) | 19.6 (67.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 3.4 (38.1) | 8.8 (47.8) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.0 (57.2) | 18.0 (64.4) | 18.0 (64.4) | 19.3 (66.7) | 22.3 (72.1) | 20.5 (68.9) | 16.5 (61.7) | 13.4 (56.1) | 8.0 (46.4) | 3.4 (38.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 7 (0.3) | 38 (1.5) | 127 (5.0) | 382 (15.0) | 590 (23.2) | 795 (31.3) | 723 (28.5) | 609 (24.0) | 496 (19.5) | 201 (7.9) | 25 (1.0) | 10 (0.4) | 4,003 (157.6) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 1 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 161 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 75 | 68 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 83 | 77 | 75 | 79 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 212.2 | 210.6 | 223.2 | 196.1 | 178.6 | 121.9 | 132.8 | 145.1 | 148.7 | 218.9 | 242.9 | 238.0 | 2,269 |
| Source 1:NOAA[23] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Bangladesh Meteorological Department (humidity 1981-2010)[24][25] | |||||||||||||
Robert Lindsay, who served as the District Collector of Sylhet from 1778 to 1790, mentioned Sylhet in his autobiography,Oriental Miscellanies: Anecdotes of Indian Life, as 'a small bazaar (market)'. He wrote, "The town was then merely a small market. The inhabitants’ houses were situated on the hills and hidden behind forests and jungles."[26] Exactly 100 years after his tenure, in 1878, Sylhet was upgraded into a municipality with an approximate area of about 1.75 square kilometers.[27] The civic body of Sylhet was formed according to the Sylhet City Corporation Act, 2001, which came into effect on April 10, 2001.[28] On July 28, 2002, Sylhet Municipality board was upgraded to a City Corporation, which covered an area of 26.50 square kilometers and was divided into 27 wards. Currently, the city is administered by theSylhet City Corporation.[29] On August 31, 2021, a gazette notification was issued to expand the area of Sylhet City Corporation. According to the gazette, severalmouzas from four unions ofSylhet Sadar Upazila and three unions ofDakshin Surma Upazila were included in the City Corporation. Subsequently, the expanded areas were reorganized and boundaries were defined on a ward basis under Sections 29 and 30 of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009. Currently, the City Corporation consists of 42 wards and covers an area of 79.5 square kilometers.[30] At present, Sylhet is the district-headquarters as well as the divisional headquarters of the districts ofSunamganj,Habiganj,Moulvibazar andSylhet District. The Sylhet City Corporation is responsible for the services that are provided within the city which includes traffic, roads, garbage collection, water supply, registrations and many others. The corporation consists of the Mayor and 22 other commissioners, and focuses on the development of the city.[31] Sylhet is divided into 6 metropolitanthanas (police stations), 42 wards, and 1224 mahallas.[citation needed]
Sylhet is strategically important for theBangladesh Armed Forces. TheBangladesh Army's17th Infantry Division is based atJalalabad Cantonment in Sylhet.[32] The cantonment is also home of theSchool of Infantry and Tactics (SI&T) and the1st Para-commando Battalion, an elitecommando unit of the Bangladesh Army.[citation needed]
Sylhet is also home to many hospitals such as the Shahid Shamsuddin Hospital District Hospital,Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College,Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College,North East Medical College, andSylhet Women's Medical College.[citation needed]
In 2018,Sylhet Medical University was established in the city, following the Prime Minister's order to found a medical university in each division with the goal of maintaining medical standards in colleges. According to the order, Chittagong and Rajshahi Medical University have already been established, and Sylhet Medical University is the fourth Medical University of the directive.[33][34]
As of the2011 Bangladesh census, Sylhet has a population of 485,138.[35] The population growth rate of the city is 1.73%, a decrease from 1.93% in 1991.[36] Sylhet has a sex ratio of 861 females to 1000 males and a literacy rate of 67.8%.[35]
The majority of the population areBengali Muslims, while significant minority population groups include theBengali Hindus,Bishnupriya Manipuri and others.[37]Sylheti is spoken by the vast majority of the people, whileStandard Bengali is the official language used by the state government and officials.[38][39][40] 2,424 (0.45%) of the population are of an ethnic minority, of which 2,040 areManipuri.
The majority of people in Sylhet are Muslims (86.5%), while other religious groups include Hindus (13.3%) and less than 0.2% of other religions, mainlyBuddhists andChristians. The majority of Muslims in Sylhet areSunnis who follow theHanafi school of jurisprudence.[41] Significant numbers of people also followSufi ideals, particularly the teachings ofAbdul Latif Fultali.[42]
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The Sylhet Metropolitan Area is one of Bangladesh's main business centres. Sylhet's economy is closely linked with theBangladeshi diaspora, especially theBritish Bangladeshi community. The city receives a significant portion of the country's annualremittances, which have driven growth in real estate and construction.[43] A number of shopping centres, restaurants and hotels have opened as a result. Sylhet also relies onreligious tourism, with thousands of devotees visiting itsSufi shrines annually, as well asecotourism in its broader natural hinterland.[citation needed] Natureresorts have been built in the city's outskirts. Several importantBangladeshi companies are based in Sylhet, including Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution, Sylhet Gas Fields andAlim Industries.Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates several flights from Sylhet to the United Kingdom and the Middle East. Roads connect Sylhet with the Indian states ofMeghalaya and Assam.
Sylhet'shinterland plays a vital role in theeconomy of Bangladesh. It is home to the country's largest natural gas fields, solecrude oil field,[44] largest tea plantations, rubber,palm oil,cane,agarwood[45] andcitrus farms. Rice production in the region is one of the country's highest. Heavy industries includepower plants,fertilizer plants, cement plants andliquefied petroleum gas plants. Other major industries in the region includeceramics, machinery and equipment, ready-made garments and pharmaceuticals. Most of the tea production in Bangladesh is based around Sylhet, much of which is eventually exported internationally.[46]
Sylhet has high rates of electricity shortages and water shortages. According to the Power Development Board, as of 2009, Sylhet was only receiving 50MW, half of the required demand of 100 MW. The city corporation was also supplying only 22,500 gallons of water, far less than the demand of about 65,000.[47] The major sources of water to the city are the tube wells and theSurma River.[citation needed] Tests of tube wells in Sylhet District by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1997 found that about 27.6% contained more arsenic than the acceptable limit set by Bangladesh of 50 micrograms per liter, and 49.2% contained more arsenic than the World Health Organization standard of 10 micrograms per liter.[48] There are about 331 registered restaurants in the city, but only 15% maintain sanitary facilities and 85% have unhygienic conditions that are unsafe for the public.[49]
State-ownedBangladesh Television operates arelay station headquartered in the Kazitula neighborhood.[50] From 2000 to 2002, privately ownedEkushey Television broadcast terrestrially on VHF channel 11 in Sylhet.[51]
Cricket is the most popular sport in Sylhet.[citation needed] TheBangladesh Premier League franchiseSylhet Strikers are based inSylhet International Cricket Stadium (M.A.G. Osmani Stadium), which was built in 2007 and has a capacity of 18,500 spectators. The Sylhet International Cricket Stadium was renovated in 2013 specifically to host matches for the2014 ICC World Twenty20. It is situated near lush green tea gardens on the city fringe.[52] In theNational Cricket League,Sylhet Division has not won any titles but did win in theOne-Day Cricket League during the2001–02 season. Notable players from Sylhet who have played for theBangladesh national cricket team includeRajin Saleh,[53]Enamul Haque Jr,[54]Tapash Baisya,[55] andAlok Kapali.[56] Chess playerRani Hamid was awarded theFIDEWomen's International Master (WIM) title in 1985, while her sonKaiser Hamid was the captain of theBangladesh national football team in the early 90s.[57]
The main transport systems used in Sylhet arecycle rickshaws,auto rickshaws (mainly known as baby-taxis or CNGs), buses, mini-buses and cars. About 80,000 rickshaws run each day within the city. Bus service prices have increased up to 30% higher, and as of 2008 prices range fromTk 4 to 15.95.[58]
TheN2 connects the city with Bangladesh's capital and largest city, Dhaka, as well as with many other parts of the country. The N2 highway is also part of theAsian Highway Network's two longest routes,AH1 andAH2.
Sylhet is served byOsmani International Airport, located at the north of the city. It is Bangladesh's third busiest airport, and it became an international airport due to demand driven by expatriate Bangladeshis and their families living in the United Kingdom and the United States. The most prevalent airlines at the airport areBiman Bangladesh Airlines,US-Bangla Airlines andNovoair.
Osmani International Airport received its first international arrival on 3 November 2002, with a Biman plane arriving fromKuwait viaAbu Dhabi en route to Dhaka.[59] Sylhet's first direct international flight arrived on 15 March 2017 when a Flydubai direct flight fromDubai landed at the airport.[60] Work began in 2006 to upgrade the airport to international standards, including a new terminal building, a jetway, a taxiway, and expansion of the runway to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.[61] In May 2007, Biman announced directHajj flights originating from the airport later that year.[62] As of 2020, Biman Bangladesh operates direct flight to London from Sylhet.[63] All Bangladeshi airlines operate regular domestic flights to Dhaka and Biman operates regular domestic flights toCox's Bazar.[64]
In response to the increase in passenger and cargo demand at the airport, work began in 2020 on a new 34,919 square metres (375,860 sq ft) international passenger terminal building, as well as a cargo building, a control tower, parking areas, and a taxiway.[65][66]
TheSylhet railway station is the main railway station providing trains on national routes operated by the state-runBangladesh Railway.Some train routes originating or terminating in Sylhet include the following.
| Train No. | Train Name | Train Type | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 710 | Parabat Express | Intercity | Daily (except Tue) |
| 718 | Jayantika Express | Intercity | Daily |
| 740 | Upaban Express | Intercity | Daily |
| 774 | Kalni Express | Intercity | Daily (except Fri) |
| 10 | Surma Mail | Daily |
| Train No. | Train Name | Train Type | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 724 | Udayan Express | Intercity | Daily (except Fri) |
| 720 | Paharika Express | Intercity | Daily (except Fri) |
| 14 | Jalalabad Express | Daily |
| Train No. | Train Name | Train Type | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Kushiara Express | Daily |
There are two public universities in Sylhet:Shahjalal University of Science and Technology andSylhet Agricultural University. There are also private universities such asLeading University andMetropolitan University.[67][68] Other prominent colleges and schools in Sylhet includeJalalabad Cantonment Public School and College, Jalalabad Ragib Rabeya Medical college, PathantulaParkview Medical College, MAG Osmani Medical College, Sylhet,Sylhet Women's Medical College,North East Medical College,Sylhet Engineering College,[69]Sylhet Cadet College,Murari Chand College,[70]Institute of Health Technology, Sylhet,Border Guard Public School And College, Scholarshome, Blue Bird High School and College,Sylhet Science And Technology College,Sylhet Polytechnic Institute, andSylhet Government Women's College.
Sylhet istwinned with:[citation needed]
As of 2009, Sylhet has friendly relations with:
The friendship link with St Albans was established in 1988, when the St Albans'district council supported a housing project in Sylhet as part of the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless. Sylhet was chosen because it is the home region for a large ethnic minority population in St Albans.[71]
In March 2009 the Mayor of Sylhet, Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form another friendship link between Sylhet and Rochdale, home to around 10,000 people with Sylheti heritage. The Mayor of Sylhet signed it alongside the Mayor of Rochdale, Cllr Keith Swift, at theSylhet City Corporation.[citation needed]
Sylhet travel guide from WikivoyageCapital:Sylhet | ||
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