Ahsan Manzil
This riverside mansion of the Nawabs of Dhaka was built by Khwaja Abdul Ghani in the late 19th century on an earlier Mughal palace and named after his son Ahsanulla. Nawab Ahsanulla himself later rebuilt it twice after it was damaged, first by a tornado and then an eartquake. Ahsanulla was a strong believer in Muslim identity and patronized the early Muslim leadership of East Bengal who met often at this palace. Architecurally the Manzil is a two-storied palace built on a raised platform. The wide stairway seen here leads from the first floor verandah to a riverside garden. The upper floor has a large drawing room, library, card room, and a spacious Jalsaghar. On the ground floor are the dining room and darbar halls which are decorated with white, green and yellow ceramic tiles.
|
