Dhaka Gate

Dhaka Gate is one of the integral parts of Dhaka’s history and one of the city’s oldest examples of Mughal architecture.  It is also known as Mir Jumla’s Gate or Ramna Gate since it is considered to have been built by Mir Jumla II (1591-1663). 

According to popular belief, Dhaka was getting bigger in the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1618-1707), so Mir Jumla constructed the gate as the north entrance of the city, thus establishing its northern border.  It used to stand on the bank of the Buriganga River, guarding the city against forays by Magh pirates.  But it was badly damaged and so rebuilt by Charles Dawes, a magistrate, in 1825 in its present location, at the University of Dhaka campus area near Curzon Hall and Shishu Academy. 

The Dhaka Gate is made of yellow stone and consists of three major parts, two sliding walls and a central pillar.  Today it is somewhat covered in moss and algae.