Walking through history in the ancient capital, Sonargaon

Words can’t express how much I love this place. Panam City, close to Sonargaon, is a ghost town filled with incredible architecture. The streets are empty, except for the occasional street vendor. A few of the mansions are still inhabited (illegally) but most of them remained empty after their owners (rich Hindu merchants) fled the city after the 1965 India-Pakistan war. This place should be protected, it contains so much of Bangladesh’s heritage. I couldn’t stop wondering how the places looked like in full glory and how people lived in it. If only we could turn back time.

 Sonargaon trip summary

• Transport: It’s an easy day trip from Dhaka. We took a bus at the Motijheel bus station and hopped off at the intersection with Sonargaon. The city is another 2km walk (or a short rickshaw ride) away.
• Food: We had lunch at one of the “restaurants” in front of the museum in Sonargaon.
• Getting around: We used a rickshaw to get to Panam City and walked a fair bit as well.