The capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka. It has been known as the city of mosques and muslin. Dhaka was founded in 1608 A.D. as the seat of the imperial Mughal Viceroy of Bengal. As the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka has grown into a busy city of about ten million people with an area of about 1353 sq. k.m. It is the centre of industrial commercial, cultural, educational and political activities for Bangladesh.

Dhaka has the happy blending of old and new architectural trends. Some of the outstanding tourist attractions of Dhaka are :

Mosques
Dhaka has several hundred mosques. Prominent ones are the seven domed mosque (17th century), Baitul Mukarram-National Mosque, Star Mosque (18th century), Chawkbazar Mosque and Huseni Dalan Mosque.

Hindu Temples
Dhakeshwari Temple (11th century), Ramkrishna Mission.

Churches
Armenian Church (1781 A.D), St. Mary's Cathedral at Ramna, Church of Bangladesh or former Holy Rosary Church (1677 AD.) at Tejgaon.

National Memorial
The memorial is dedicated to the sacred memory of the millions of unknown martyrs of the 1971 War of Liberation. It is located at Savar. This monument is a place of pilgrimage for 120 million Bangladeshis.

Central Shahid Minar
It is the symbol of Bengali Nationalism. This monument was built to commemorate the martyrs of the Historic Language Movement of 1952. Hundreds and thousands of people with floral wreaths and bouquet gather on 21 February every year to pay respect in a solemn atmosphere.

Bangabandhu Memorial Museum
The residence of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi has been turned into a museum. It contains rare collection of personal effects and photographs of his lifetime.

Muktijuddha Museum
It is situated at Segun Bagich area of the city. The museum contains rare photographs of liberation war and items used by the freedom fighters during the period.

Lalbagh Fort
It was built in 1678 A.D. by Prince Mohammad Azam, son of Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. The fort was the scene of bloody battle during the first war of Independence (1857 A.D). Outstanding among the monuments of the Lalbagh are the tomb of Pari Bibi, Lalbagh Mosque, Audience and Hammam of Nawab Shaista Khan now housing a museum.

National Museum
It contains a large number of interesting collections including sculptures and paintings of the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim periods as well as inscriptions of the Holy Quran in Arabic and Persian letters and Bengali works in the Arabic script. The Museum also has a rich collection of old coins, metal images, books on art, ivory and silver filigree works. Above all, the valuable articles of the heroic liberation war of Bangladesh are also there.

Ahsan Manzil Museum
It is an example of the nation's rich cultural heritage. It was the home of the Nawab (Ruler) of Dhaka and a silent spectator of many events. It is located on the bank of the river Buriganga in Dhaka and recently has been turned into a museum. The renovated Ahsan Manzil has 31 rooms with a huge dome atop which can be seen from miles around. It now has 23 galleries displaying portraits, furniture and household articles and utensils used by the Nawabs.

Science Museum
It is located at Agargaon. The museum is a modern learning centre related to the latest scientific discoveries.

Folk Art Museum
It was established in 1975 to fulfil the dream of the celebrated painter Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin. The museum has a very rich collection of folk objects of different materials and forms of aesthetic and utilitarian values. It is a national institution which represents traditional art, heritage of Bangladesh, exhibiting objects of exceptional design and skill.

National Assembly
Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (Parliament House) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar has distinctive architectural features. It may be called an architectural wonder of this region.

National Poet's Graveyard
This is the graveyard of revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The graveyard is adjacent to the Dhaka University Mosque.

Bahadur Shah Park
This is the 1857 Memorial which was built to commemorate the martyrs of the first liberation war (1857-59) against British rule.

Old High Court Building
Originally it was built as the residence of the British Governor. It illustrates a happy blend of European and Mughal architecture.

Buddhist Monastery
It is the Kamalapur Buddhist Monastery.

Ramna Bhaban
It is a vast stretch of green garden surrounded by a serpentine lake near the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

Baldha Garden
It is located in Wari area of Dhaka city. The garden has a rich collection of indigenous and exotic plants.

National Botanical Garden
It is built over an area of 205 acres of land at Mirpur just east of the Dhaka Zoo. It is a quiet place out of the city to meet the nature.

Dhaka Zoological Garden
It is popularly known as Mirpur Zoo. It has nearly 1400 animals and birds belonging to 124 species latest addition being the Kangaroo and Tapir.

National Park
The part is situated at Rajendrapur, 40 k.m. north of Dhaka on Dhaka-Trishal-Mymensingh highway. This is a vast (1600 acres) national recreational forest.

Sonargaon
About 29 k.m. from Dhaka, Sonargaon is one of the oldest capitals of Bengal. A folk-arts and crafts museum has been established here.