Destination guide
Ahsan Manzil
আহসান মঞ্জিল
The pink-domed Nawab palace on the Buriganga is Old Dhaka's signature sight, now a museum of the Nawab era. Travellers say it pairs perfectly with the Sadarghat riverfront next door.
History & significance
The site began as Sheikh Enayetullah's 18th-century garden house. The Khwaja family bought it in the 1830s–40s, and Nawab Abdul Ghani rebuilt it into a palace over 1859–1872, naming it after his son Khwaja Ahsanullah. Restored after an 1888 tornado and the 1897 earthquake, it was acquired by the government in the 1980s and reopened as a museum.
How to get there
Bus to Gulistan or Jagannath University in Old Dhaka, then a rickshaw for ৳40–50. From Sadarghat terminal it is about 10 minutes by rickshaw along the river.
Entry fee
৳20–40 · verified
Bangladeshi adult ৳40, child ৳20; SAARC visitors ৳300, other foreigners ৳500.
Opening hours & best time
Sat–Wed roughly 10:30–17:30 (about 9:30–16:30 in winter); Friday afternoon only; closed Thursday.
Best time
A winter morning, then a walk along the riverfront.
Traveller tips
Photography inside the museum rooms is not allowed — keep the camera for the lawn and stairs.
Sadarghat, the Islampur cloth market and a Buriganga boat ride all sit within one rickshaw fare — do them together.