Ahsan Manzil () is a historic palace situated in Kumartoli along the banks of Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It served as the official residence and administrative seat of the Nawab of Dhaka during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
History
thumb|left|[[Khwaja Salimullah with his family in front of Ahsan Manzil]]
During the Mughal era, Sheikh Enayetullah, the then Zamindar of the Jalalpur Pargana (Faridpur-Barisal), had a garden house on this property and later added a palace, which he called Rang Mahal. He was buried on the northeast corner of the palace yard (the gravesite was ruined in early 1900s). Around 1740, his son, Sheikh Matiullah, sold the property to French traders, who erected a trading house beside the property.
thumb|[[Ballroom dancing with Indian classical music at an event hosted by the Nawab Sir Khwaja Abdul Ghani (seated far left) on the first floor of Ahsan Manzil]]
thumb|Painting of the 1st session of the [[All India Muslim League at Ahsan Manzil in 1906. The League was founded at the palace under the patronage of Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah]]
On 7 April 1888, a tornado severely damaged Ahsan Manzil and it was temporarily abandoned. With the exception of Rangmahal, which only required repairs, all buildings had to be rebuilt. Abdul Ghani and Ahsanullah continued renovations. What was previously the French trading house was rebuilt as a two-storey building similar to the Rangmahal. A wooden bridge connected the first floors of the two buildings. The palace was repaired again following the 1897 Assam earthquake. It became a slum for a period after the government acquired it in 1952 under the East Bengal Estate Acquisition Act.
The Government of Bangladesh acquired the palace and property in 1985 and began renovating it, taking care to preserve the remaining structure. Just under was then used for the museum.
Architecture
thumb|left|Ahsan Manzil in 1965
Ahsan Manzil was built on a raised platform and the palace measured by . There are porticos on the northern and southern sides of the palace. The building itself faces the Buriganga River. On the riverside is a stairway leading up to the second portal. A fountain previously sat at the foot of the stairs but was not rebuilt. Along the north and south sides of the building are verandas with open terraces.
The palace is divided into the eastern side, the Rangmahal, and the western side, the Andarmahal. The Rangmahal features the dome, a drawing room, a card room, a library, a state room, and two guest rooms. The Andarmahal has a ballroom, a storeroom, an assembly room, a chest room, a dining hall, a music room, and a few residential rooms. Both the drawing room and the music room have artificial vaulted ceilings. The dining and assembly rooms have white, green, and yellow ceramic tiles.
thumb|Dome of Ahsan Manzil
The dome is at the center of the palace and is complex in its design. The room at its base is square with brickwork placed around the corners to make it circular. Squinches were added to the roof corners to give the room an octagonal shape and slant gradually to give the dome the appearance of a lotus bud. The dome's peak is tall.
thumb|Ahsan Manzil extended view
Political use
High-profile visitors to the area, including Lord Dufferin, often boarded at the palace. The All India Muslim League emerged from this property. This is the former official seat of the Nawab of Dhaka.
References
Further reading
- ArchNet on Ahsan Manzil Restoration
- Muntasir Mamun, Dhaka: Smriti Bismritir Nogori, vol 1, Anyna Publishers, 2008, Ahsan Majil, p. 39
- Taifoor, S.M. Glimpses of Old Dacca, on Dhaka, 1956