Motijheel Thana

Motijheel Thana মতিঝিল থানা
Central business district and Thana
From top: Skyline of Motijheel, Bangabhaban, RAJUK, Janata Bank Tower, Bangladesh Bank Building, City Centre Dhaka, Jiban Bima Tower and Bangladesh Development Bank, Bangabandhu National Stadium, Shapla Square, Notre Dame College, Balaka Square, Motijheel metro station
Expandable map of vicinity of Motijheel Thana
Motijheel Thana Location of Motijheel Thana within Dhaka Show map of Dhaka Motijheel Thana Location of Motijheel Thana within Dhaka Division Show map of Dhaka division Motijheel Thana Location of Motijheel Thana within Bangladesh Show map of Bangladesh
Coordinates: 23°43′37″N 90°25′18″E / 23.72681°N 90.42163°E / 23.72681; 90.42163
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Dhaka Division
District	Dhaka District
Established as a thana	1976
Area
• Total	3.69 km² (1.42 sq mi)
Elevation ^[1]	23 m (75 ft)
Population (2011)^[2]
• Total	210,006
• Density	56,912/km² (147,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+6 (BST)
Area code	1000^[3]

Motijheel (Bengali: মতিঝিল) is a central business district and a thana of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is Dhaka's primary Central Business District^[4] and also the nation's largest commercial and financial hub.^[5] Motijheel, Dhaka's zero point, has the largest number of offices in Dhaka.^[6] Motijheel CBD also has one of the highest concentrations of high-rise buildings in Bangladesh. It has thus earned the title of the downtown and city centre of Dhaka and as the bankpara-officepara (neighbourhood of banks and offices) in Bengali.

It is home to the Bangabhaban presidential palace, the venerable Notre Dame College; and the Bangladesh Bank, which is the central bank of the country.

Companies based in Motijheel include Dutch Bangla Bank, Eastern Bank PLC, Mercantile Bank, IFIC Bank, Beacon Pharmaceuticals, Orion Group, Janata Bank, Sonali Bank, Rupali Bank, Agrani Bank, Pubali Bank, Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation and Jiban Bima Corporation among others.^[7]^[8]^[9] The Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also based in Motijheel. With a large concentration of businesses, as well as government offices, departments and ministries, Motijheel is a major central business district and an office hub.

The area is served by the Dhaka Metro Rail. Shapla Square and Balaka Square are well known roundabouts in Motijheel.

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Etymology

The name Motijheel is a combination of two Bengali words. Moti (Bengali: মতি), which means pearl and Jheel (Bengali: ঝিল) meaning lake. Hence, the name Motijheel literally means the "Lake of Pearls".

History

During the Bengal Sultanate, a Sufi preacher named Shah Jalal Dakhini lived in the area. His tomb is located within the Bangabhaban premises.^[10] Under Mughal rule, the area was known as the abode of Mirza Muhammad Mukim. The area was historically known as Dilkusha. It was the site of the Dilkusha Gardens, a property of the Nawab of Dhaka. Armenians also lived in the area.^[11] The area became home to an official residence of the Governor of Bengal and the Viceroy of India. It later became the seat of the Governor of East Pakistan. The President of Bangladesh resides at the Bangabhaban in Motijheel. The presidential palace is surrounded by the Bangabhaban Gardens (formerly the Nawab's Dilkusha Gardens).

After the partition of India,^[12] Motijheel became the CBD of Dhaka during the 1950s and 1960s. The city's Notre Dame College was relocated to its present campus in Motijheel in 1954; and includes many prestigious alumni. The clocktower of the Dhaka Improvement Trust building was the tallest structure in East Pakistan. The Purbani Hotel opened in the 1960s. In the 1980s and early 1990s, several tall buildings were built in Motijheel. They are mainly the headquarters of Bangladeshi state-owned banks. For many years, the Bangladesh Bank Building located in Motijheel was the tallest building in Bangladesh. City Centre Dhaka of Motijheel is the current tallest building in Bangladesh and has been since 2012. In recent years, the emergence of a plethora of new CBDs in other parts of Dhaka such as Tejgaon I/A, Gulshan-Banani/DOHS, Karwan Bazar-Panthapath, Uttara, Dhanmondi, Mirpur/DOHS, Mohakhali/DOHS, Cantonment and Bashundhara R/A has led to a neglect of Motijheel.

Geography

Motijheel forms part of downtown Dhaka. It is situated between Old Dhaka to its south and Ramna, Paltan and Segunbagicha to its north. Motijheel lies directly adjacent to Paltan and Segunbagicha. The Ramna area was the colonial part of Dhaka which developed in the early 20th century. Motijheel, which was once the property of the Nawab of Dhaka, was a garden situated between Ramna and Old Dhaka. Motijheel Thana covers an area of 3.69 square kilometres (1.42 sq mi). It is bounded by thana of Rampura to the north, Khilgaon Thana to the north and east, Sutrapur Thana to the south, Sabujbagh Thana to the east, Ramna Model Thana to the northwest, and Paltan to the west.^[13]

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Motijheel Thana has a population of 210,006 with an average household size of 4.5 members and an average literacy rate of 80.4% against the national average of 51.8% literacy.^[2]

Economy

The following companies have their head offices in Motijheel.

State owned companies

Private sector companies

Chambers of commerce

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka

Education

Notre Dame College, Dhaka, Notre Dame University Bangladesh is located in Motijheel Thana. The main branch of Ideal School & College and Motijheel Model School & College is also located in Motijheel. T & T High School and the Ideal Government Primary School are also in Motijheel. Other schools and colleges in the thana include Bangladesh Bank High School, Post Office High School, Motijheel Government Girls' High School, Motijheel Government Boys' High School, Shantibagh High School, Shahjahanpur Railway School, Miraj Abbas Degree College, and Abujar Ghifari College.^[14]

References

^ "Geographic coordinates of Dhaka, Bangladesh". DATEANDTIME.INFO. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
^ ^a ^b Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2011). "Population & Housing Census" (PDF). Bangladesh Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "ঢাকা পোস্টকোড". ডাক অধিদপ্তর. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
^ "Motijheel, Dhaka - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ Landmark, Anwar (15 February 2023). "Top Notch Commercial Hubs In Dhaka". Anwar Landmark. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ "At a Glance: Busiest Commercial Areas in Dhaka". unb.com.bd. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ "Dutch-Bangla Bank". www.dutchbanglabank.com. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ https://www.mblbd.com/home/view_branch_map/52
^ "IFIC Bank PLC". ificbank.com.bd. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Motijheel,_Dhaka#:~:text=There%20was%20a%20large%20pond,(1660%2D1663%20AD).
^ https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Motijheel,_Dhaka#:~:text=There%20was%20a%20large%20pond,(1660%2D1663%20AD).
^ https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Motijheel,_Dhaka#:~:text=There%20was%20a%20large%20pond,(1660%2D1663%20AD).
^ "Motijheel Thana - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
^ "Motijheel Thana - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 16 February 2024.

External links

Central Dhaka travel guide from Wikivoyage

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