Visit Dhaka’s Tejgaon Thana
The administrative sub-district, or Thana, of Tejgaon in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh incorporates a number of government and educational facilities, as well as numerous factories and industries, making it an important commercial hub of the country’s capital city. Covering an area of 8.75 square kilometers, Tejgaon also has close to forty thousand households, with many of the residents working in the area. One of the most impressive attractions in Tejgaon Thana is the National Parliament Building, Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban, an architectural masterpiece set in superbly landscaped gardens and surrounded by an artificial lake.
Another popular attraction in Tejgaon Thana is Bashundhara City – the largest shopping mall in south Asia and one of the largest in the world. Designed by Bangladeshi architect Khan Mohammed Mustapha Khalid Palash, Bashundhara City is 21 floors high, with eight being used for the more than 2,500 stores, and the remaining floors serving as the headquarters for the Bashundhara Group – one of the country’s largest industrial conglomerates.
The fact that industry has historically played, and continues to play, an important role in this area of Dhaka is evident in some of the place names, such as Nabisco Junction (named for the biscuit factory), the Rahim Metal Mosque (named for the Rahim Group metal manufacturers) and Tibet bus terminus (named for the Tibet cosmetics brand produced by Kohinoor Chemicals). Noteworthy educational institutions in the area include Tejgaon College which was established in 1961 and offers Honors and Masters courses on up to 27 subjects; the Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology which has faculties of Architecture and Planning, Engineering,Business and Social Science, and Education; the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute; the Technical Teachers Training College; and the Government Science College which offers courses in physics, chemistry, math, botany and zoology, among others. Other schools, colleges and private universities in Tejgaon include Holy Cross College, Tejgaon Government High School, Green University of Bangladesh and BAF Shaheen College.
Prior to the construction of the Shahjalal International Airport in 1980, Tejgaon Airport served as the only international airport in Bangladesh, and is now a base for the Bangladesh Air Force. A prime leisure destination in Tejgaon is the Chandrima Uddan (Moonlight) park located alongside the Parliament Buildings, noted as the burial place of former Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman.
