With a Local: Dhaka, Bangladesh

This With a Local supplies insider tips on things to do and see while visiting Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Zia Ahmed is an independent tour guide based in the capital of Bangladesh. Born and bred in Dhaka, Zia started his professional tour guiding career in South Africa, working in Kruger National Park from 1993 to 1996. Guiding became his passion. He then worked in Vienna, Austria, for seven years, leading mainly Indian tourist groups.

After 17 years away from Bangladesh Zia returned home to Dhaka. For the past couple of years he’s been working for his own company, Tours and Trips Bangladesh.

Zia agreed to provide his insider’s perspective for readers of Go Eat Do.

Why do you think people should visit Dhaka?

The people are as friendly as any you’ll find in the world. People are warm-hearted and ever-smiling.

Bangladesh is not yet a touristic destination. People who are adventurous — I call them travellers rather than tourists, people who have been around the world — are welcome to find out what we have here.

A porter at Gulshan Market in Dhaka where fruit and vegetables are sold.
A porter at Gulshan Market in Dhaka where fruit and vegetables are sold.

What’s your favourite place around the city?

The waterfront, the Sadarghat, is one of the best places you can visit. You can see lively things going on there [such as ferries docking and departing, and rowing boats crossing the Buriganga River].

The wholesale fruit market and vegetable market there has a lot of people. You get interactions with the locals and also very good opportunities for photographs.

We also have a masterpiece by the architect Louis I. Kahn, the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban or National Parliament House, which is worth visiting. We can go inside to see the architecture of the building.

Ferry boats by a landing stage next to Sadarghat Boat Terminal.
Ferry boats by a landing stage next to Sadarghat Boat Terminal in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

What’s your favourite legend or quirky piece of history associated with Dhaka?

Today Dhaka is a mega-city of about 16 million people but it was born in the 7th century.

The name Dhaka comes from one of our ancient kings, a Hindu from the 12th century. His name was Ballalsen, from the Sen Dynasty.

One night, when he was sleeping, he had a dream. In his vision he saw a goddess come towards him and ask him to go to a particular place in the forest and search for a statue of that goddess. Once he finds the statue, he should build her a temple.

Since it was a forest, the statue was covered with a lot of leaves and branches and other things. ‘Covered’ in Bengali is ‘dhaka’, that’s where we get the name. The name is coming from that statue and the Dhakeshvari Temple.

A woman at a market in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
A woman at a market in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

If you were going to take a guest to lunch or dinner, where would you choose and why?

In Bangladesh we like mashes. Potato mash, eggplant mash, pumpkin mash, fish mash, meat mash — a lot of mashes.

A good, traditional restaurant is called Nirob (13/2 Nazimuddin Road, Dhaka 1211). It means ‘silence’ in Bengali. You will be lost in silence while you are having the food because it is so delicious!

They started about 30 years ago, with only four tables, accommodating only 12 people at a time. People were queuing up to eat there. Usually mash is made by women, at home. The people who go to work, they could not order a mash. Nirob was the first place to come up with this kind of idea in Dhaka.

Nowadays it’s quite big, so a lot of people can get to enjoy the food at one time.

Commemorating International Mother Language Day in Dhaka.
Commemorating International Mother Language Day in Dhaka.

If there is a bar or cafe that you could take guests to, which would it be and why?

There are a lot of new coffee shops. Gloria Jean’s is a popular chain, so is Barista.

There are bars too, where you can go for cocktails or Guinness, in the diplomatic quarter.

Rickshaw is one way of getting to and from a cafe in Dhaka.
Rickshaw is one way of getting to and from a cafe in Dhaka.

If guests can stay in the region for an extra day, what do you recommend they do and see?

A couple of hours drive away we have a rural village where you can see weaving, carpenters making furniture, and organic farming. It’s all in one place, a village called Tangai. It’s a charming place and a good introduction to the country.

A villager at Tangail.
A villager at Tangai.

Further information

Zia can be contacted via Tours and Trips Bangladesh (tel: +88 01819 895 910). The company offers home stay programmes, providing travellers with opportunities to stay in rural Bangladeshi villages, taste Bengali cuisine and visit the tribal districts of Rangamati and the Banderban Hills.

The Visit Bangladesh website is a good source of information about tourist attractions throughout the country. The Rocket paddle steamer, which has been running for around a century, and floating market at Barisal are two of the country’s attractions.

All of the photos illustrating this feature are by Why Eye Photography, which based in the northeast of England.

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11 Comments

  • Syed Masudur Rahman

    April 15, 2017 at 17:04 Reply

    I know him personally. He is one of the best guides in Bangladesh. I wish him every success in life.

    • Stuart Forster

      April 17, 2017 at 09:38 Reply

      I spent a couple of weeks on the road with Zia, at various places around Bangladesh, and thought he was a very good guide.

  • Mohammed Afzal Hossain

    April 17, 2017 at 10:00 Reply

    Very beautiful and well organised. I like the idea. Here’s hoping for your success in the coming days.

    • Stuart Forster

      April 17, 2017 at 10:04 Reply

      Thank you.

  • Rahel Ahmes

    April 17, 2017 at 10:44 Reply

    Zia is an excellent guide and approachable. Whenever I am in Bangladesh Zia is the first person I call specially for my foreign friends. As far as I know, no-one ever complained about the service they received from Zia.

  • Courtney Traub

    April 18, 2017 at 16:48 Reply

    A fascinating interview that makes me want to discover Dhaka. The photos are likewise breathtaking. Thanks for taking me there, virtually.

    • Stuart Forster

      April 19, 2017 at 08:21 Reply

      Thank you Courtney. If you ever want to give Go Eat Do readers an insight into Paris they maybe you can take us around your city of residence.

  • Therie

    April 22, 2017 at 15:34 Reply

    Bustling and vibrant Dhaka! So captivating!

    • Stuart Forster

      April 27, 2017 at 10:34 Reply

      It’s a great place to explore with a camera.

  • Joanna Matt

    April 28, 2017 at 05:45 Reply

    This pictures remind me of my visit to India last month.

    • Stuart Forster

      May 9, 2017 at 09:25 Reply

      If you were in West Bengal it’s likely that there would have been many similarities.

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