Sunday, February 2, 2014 - Old Dhaka

Old Dhaka (Puran Dhaka) is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of modern Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangir Nagar, the capital of Mughal Bengal. It was one of the largest and most prosperous cities of the Indian subcontinent and the center of the worldwide muslin trade.

This looks quite picturesque... but the smell - ugh! :s

On a local boat with our guide for the day - Nurislam.

Started our tour of with a boat ride.

Washing and drying plastic along the river.

Plastic chips are delivered from factories to the river. The workers wash sort and dry them.

They walk with bare feet on the sharp edges of the chips.

While I would wail and huddle up in self-pity

they are still able to smile.

Living on the river - Houseboats:

Professional laundry:

Freaking out - when imagining that the hotel laundry might be done here too...

Our guide taking a break in an - hm - unusual position:

our boat driver

Visiting "factory"-sheds after the boat ride

Taking a break to check us out:

Children at work

Woman producing nails.

Choose your favourite:

trash, garbage, litter, offal, refuse, rubbish, soft dirt

a

hopeless?

Clothes factory - producing for the local market.

Separated: woman on the right - men on the left side.

According to our guide "happy" to have this job.

Show rooms with the finished product.

1. Houses are being build close to each other.

2. Trousers are being carried on shoulders -

in different production stages.

Among other things window bars are handy to put up laundry to dry.

Of we go to the shipyard

Well if you wanna move steel ...

Casting of ship's screws

Puppies

Taking a break at a tea stall on the shipyard area.

Crossed the river by boat and explored different trade quarters

so colourful

too cute

lost grand air:

The Nawab of Bengal shifted the capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad in the early-1700s. 

With the rise of British Calcutta, Dhaka began to stagnate and came to be known as the "City of Magnificent Ruins".

Lunch delivery

at a rickshaw workshop

Supposed to be refreshing - coconut

Visiting a Hindu Temple in the Hindu quarter

As far as I understood Hindu will purchase these figures made out of mud and colour. 

They will pray with them for a week and then sacrifice them by offering them by the river.

relief on another temple

according to our guide a ancient house

what a day! -_-

Nick name: Pink Palace

Ahsan Manzil was the official residential palace and seat of the Dhaka Nawab Family. This magnificent building is situated at Kumartoli along the banks of the Buriganga River in Dhaka. The construction of this palace was started in the year 1859 and was completed in 1869. It is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. To preserve the cultural and history of the area, the palace became the Bangladesh National Museum on 20 September 1992.