Hello Local Guides, how are you? I hope you are good. 128th Bangladesh Local Guide meet up was held on January 31, 2020. This time we selected historical landmark area Ancient Goaldi Mosque, Panam City & Bangladesh Folk & Crafts Foundation (Known as Sonargaon Museum) place for mapping. Map editing, taking photos, review writing are focus issue this meet up.
Meet up Theme: Let’s revise our history again
Plan:
We separate out meet up visit plan by three circles. 1. Ancient Goaldi Mosque 2. Historical Landmark Panam City 3. Bangladesh Folk Art Museum (Sonargaon Museum).
Backwards:
For a long time, I planned for a meet up at Sonargaon area in Narayanganj district. So from the beginning of the year, I talk with Bangladesh Local Guide moderator @MahabubMunna Bhai & we fixed it on January 31, 2020.
Meet up Day:
On the day of the meet up, we all gathered at the Tripodri Bus Stand in the Sonargaon area at 10 A.M. 13 local guides from Dhaka & 4 local guides from Narayanganj were joined us. Here we started our meet up with 17 local guides.
Historical Goaldi Mosque:
We visit the Ancient Goaldi Mosque at 10:30 A.M. The care taker of the Goaldi Mosque allows us to enter the Goaldi Mosque inside. Which was amazing to all of us? In general, this Ancient Mosque was locked and there is no access. In that case, we are all happy to be able to enter the Ancient Mosque. Here we are taking group photos. Then we went to Panam City for visit.
Short history about this place:
The mosque was established in 1519. It was built by Mulla Hizabar Akbar Khan during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah of Bengal at a place called Goaldi - half a mile northeast of Panam village in Sonargaon. Sonargaon was a Mint Town of the Bengal Sultanate and often served as a royal capital. The Sultans often launched raids into Assam, Tripura and Arakan from Sonargaon. The town was the principal administrative center of eastern Bengal, particularly the Bhati region. The area falls under present-day Narayanganj District, Bangladesh. The mosque is of the more elegant and ornate sultanate-era mosques in the country. (Source: wikipedia)
How to go there:
- Distance from Dhaka City 25 K.M.
- From Gulistan Mowlana Vashani Stadium two Bus Service Swdesh & Doyel available.
- Bus ticket price 0.5$ (40 taka local currency)
- Mugrapara Chowrasta to Goaldi Mosque transport cost 0.25$ (20 taka local currency)
- Entry fee: Zero
Others Facilities:
-
Car or Bus parking: Yes
-
Restrooms: No
-
Security Problem: No
-
Restaurants: Yes
Breakfast:
About one kilometer walked we reached Panam City. Most of the local guides were hungry. In Panam city area we taking breakfast some local snacks "Shingara” from one of Bangladeshi Restaurant.
Panam City:
11:30 P.M. we cut the ticket and entered Panam City. Nearly 400 years old buildings are lined with manure. Today, these buildings are on the brink of destruction. About 50 ruined buildings still stand today. Panam City is one of the attractions of the tourists in Bangladesh. About 3000-4000 people visited this place every day.
Short history of this place:
Panam City is situated at Sonargaon, Narayanganj in Bangladesh. It is an ancient historical city in Bangladesh. Among the three cities of boro nogor (Big City), khas Nogor, Panam City, it was most attractive city. There are many historical buildings which were built centuries ago and those are related with the history of Baro-Bhuyan. It covered 20 km area of Sonargaon. Panam City is one of the most visited tourist spots in Bangladesh. As the capital of the fifteenth-century Bengal ruler Isa Khan, and once an important trading and political center, Sonargaon boasts architecture of the Sultanate, Mughal, and colonial periods. The Sonargaon historic city, located near the present-day capital of Dhaka, includes several Mughal monuments—among them the Sonakanda River Fort, the Panch Pir Mazar Shrine, and Ibrahim’s and Abdul Hamid’s Mosque. British colonial architecture preserved in Sonargaon includes the Ananda Mohan Piddar House, and other street-front houses. For travelers making their way along the 2,500-kilometer Grand Trunk Road from Peshawar in the Hindu Kush, Sonargaon marked the end of the line. Threats to the site include flooding, vandalism, unauthorized occupation, illegal development etc. (Source: wikipedia)
How to go there:
- Distance from Dhaka City 26 K.M.
- From Gulistan Mowlana Vashani Stadium two Bus Service Swdesh & Doyel available.
- Bus ticket price 0.5$ (40 taka local currency)
- Mugrapara Chowrasta to Panam City transport cost 0.20$ (15 taka local currency)
- Entry fee: 0.20$ (15 taka local currency)
Others Facilities:
- Car or Bus parking: Yes
- Restrooms: Yes
- Security Problem: No
- Restaurants: Yes
Lunch:
Before the meet up, I talked to the owner of the restaurant and made arrangements in advance. We are taking set menu item for everyone. It was Fried Rice, Chicken Curry, Fried Chicken, Vegetable and Mineral Water. The restaurant owner (Hot Chicken) arranged separate seating for us.
Bangladesh Folk & Craft Foundation (Sonargaon Museum):
Walking on foot, we all enter the Sonargaon Museum through 2 No. gate. From January 14 to February 14, there is a folk fair, with about 10000-12000 people attending every day. About 200 stall in this fair purpose. Bangladesh most popular tourist place are Bangladesh Folk & Crafts Foundation. Here Sadar Bari also creates more attraction to tourists. Last year Sadar Bari was rebuilding. That’s why now Sardar Bari looks gorgeous & attracts more tourists. We visited Bangladesh Folk & Craft Foundation Museum & learned many more historical knowledge.
How to go there:
- Distance from Dhaka City 26 K.M.
- From Gulistan Mowlana Vashani Stadium two Bus Service Swdesh & Doyel available.
- Bus ticket price 0.5$ (40 taka local currency)
- Mugrapara Chowrasta to Sonargaon Museum Gate transport cost 0.20$ (15 taka local currency)
- Entry fee: 0.60$ (50 taka local currency)
Others Facilities:
- Car or Bus parking: Yes
- Restrooms: Yes
- Security Problem: No
- Restaurants: Yes
Some Mapping Place List:
- Chity Composite LTD
- Sonargaon Dhansiri Restaurant
- Baronomala Kindergarten
- Manikvita Jame Masjid
- ACI Biotech Limited
- Goaldi Natun Jame Masjid
- Rose Valley Kindergarten
- Historical Goaldi Mosque
- Bahaul Hoque Technical Institute
- BACE Sonargaon Eye Hospital
- Adampur Jame Masjid
- Patalpara Baitul Noor Jame Mosjid
- Kali Mandir
- Mamu’r Bari Restaurant & Picnic Spot
- Chilarbag Jame Masjid
- Sonargaon Royal Resort
- Sonargaon Royal Park
- Sonargaon Folk Museum Library
- Bangladesh Folk & Craft Foundation
- Sheikh Rasel Stadium
Discussion:
- Map editing
- Add Missing Place
- How to making List
- Review Writing
- Local Guides Connect post writing
- Google Street View photo capture
Journey end:
At the end of the meet up, I personally thanks to all those who attended this meet up. Our one local guide cross 400 K.M. for joining this meet up. That kind of patient inspiring us work more on google map. In historical place mapping meet up creates more enrich local guides knowledge about his culture & history. I would like to thanks #localguidesconnect for me chance to host this kind of meet up. Special thanks to @MahabubMunna @AbdusSattar @Arafat_Zakir @Tanvir_Hasan @Sagir_Ahmmed @Mohammad_Ridoy @MukulR for their valuable support.
Here some connect post about this meet up from other Local Guides :
1. ঘুরে এলাম বাংলার প্রাচীন রাজধানী সোনারগাঁ ,পানাম নগর আর লোকশিল্প মেলা
2. সোনারগাঁয়ের পানাম নগরের ইতিহাস ও ঐতিহ্য ঘিরে বাংলাদেশ লোকাল গাইড এর ১২৮ তম মিট আপ।
4. A memorable meet-up (128th) in the historical city of broken bricks!
Meet Up Photo Album: Gallery
