Munshiganj is located on the floodplains of two mighty rivers of south Asia: Padma and Meghna. Riverbank erosion is a harsh but common phenomenon in this region. For this reason, the people who live near the banks of the river or live in the "char"s often need to relocate their homes. Also, the climate is humid, so the houses require proper ventilation.
So, the people of Munshiganj came up with a unique solution. This solution is so iconic that it has become the symbol of Munshiganj. It’s the portable wooden houses.
However, portable houses aren’t that uncommon in Bangladesh as riverbank erosion is widespread in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. About 25 thousand people lose their homes every year due to riverbank erosion.
So, what makes the houses of Munshiganj unique?
It’s the iconic design of blackish wood structure with white tin barrier that makes the houses stand out from the rest. And now, the artisans of Munshiganj have stepped up their game. They are now carving out aesthetic designs on the wood used in the house. This has turned the house into more than a place to live but a piece of art.
On the 23rd of September, I, along with a local friend, visited Ghordour Bazar, located on the bank of the mighty Padma River and just about 7 kilometer east of the iconic Padma bridge, in Louhajang subdistrict of Munshiganj. This is a prominent place for building iconic portable wooden houses. There are wood shops on both sides of the road, one might mistake it as a regular market. But behind these shops, there lies a village of colourful wooden houses. This is the readymade house market. Here the artisans build portable wooden houses and keep them as displays. Once bought, the house is opened into parts and transported to the location desired by the customer.
We entered one of the alleyways between the wood shops to get to the market. There were houses, both ready to be sold and under construction. Artisans were busy cutting wood and making frames for the houses. There were more than a hundred wooden homes at the market. They were of different sizes and designs. An elderly man approached us. He asked us whether we were interested in buying houses. We told him that we were there to take a look at the houses. So, he offered us to get inside the houses and have a closer look.
We got inside multiple houses. The houses were built with imported Nigerian ironwood. We were told that these houses are supposed to last 100 years. The wooden frames, doors and windows have beautiful designs carved on them. Some houses were single-storied, and some were two or even three-storied.
I asked the elderly man whether these houses get too hot in summer. He assured us that due to good ventilation, the houses remain comfortable all year round. Besides, the people have lived in this type of house for generations. If they weren’t comfortable, why would they live?
He also added that these portable houses can be transported to any part of the country by trucks. I told him, “Big trucks can’t enter my village, but it’s well accessible through waterways.” He said, “Then we can transport the house using trawlers.”
How much are these houses worth? “About 10 to 25 lakh taka,” the elderly man said. Hearing this, we realized that these houses are not residential houses, but exotic houses. They are way too expensive to be residential wooden houses. The price is so high because of all the designs carved on the wood, as well as the use of expensive imported timber like Nigerian ironwood. Regular houses built with locally sourced timber would cost far less, around 5 to 10 lakh taka. Smaller one-storied houses would cost less than 5 lakh taka.
The elderly man asked us to take good photographs of the houses. This is because their business thrives using social media. A few years ago, most of the houses used to be sold within Munshiganj district only. Now due to social media marketing, a good number of houses are sold to customers outside Munshiganj. Also, the demand for exotic dwellings has increased as well.
We had talks with some other vendors as well. They told us that apart from buying readymade houses, they can build customized houses as the customer demands. The customer can choose the wood and other materials, as well as the design and the artisans will build the house accordingly. we exchanged phone numbers with some vendors for future contacts.
Check out Sadman Rafid’s review of Readymade House Market on Google Maps!
After visiting the market, we went to Satgharia Masjid to attend the Zuhr prayer. It is a newly constructed mosque with modern architecture. We noticed that the colour used in the mosque (red and white) is similar to the colour of the wooden houses, which represents the local architectural style.
Thanks for reading! 
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Have you ever stayed in wooden houses? Share your experience in the comments! 
