Downtown Dhaka

Dhaka is a city that has exploded in population over the last thirty years. As a result the city has become more decentralized, with two major hubs: the Gulshan area that we live near and the old downtown where the University, National Mosque, Parliament and many other important buildings and banks are located. Over Eid we went down to take a day exploring Old Dhaka and especially a neighborhood called Dhan Mondi.
Dhan Mondi was the old home of the expatriot and wealthy community, and still contains some big properties and some of Dhaka's old money. The streets are wider, the scene far greener and there is a sense of community and history that is severly lacking in our neck of the woods. Here are some pictures...

A man sleeps in his rickshaw on the sidewalk.

A stone piece at a roundabout in Dhan Mondi. The figure holds the green and red Bangladeshi flag.

A monument downtown called Central Shahid Minar. A symbol of Bangladeshi nationalism, commemorating those killed in the Language Movement Demonstrations of 1952.

Naked baby! A group of kids in the Shahid Minar park.

A police officer manages the rickshaw traffic at a busy intersection