An architectural guidebook celebrating Dhaka’s heritage and intended for tourists and enthusiasts was launched in the BRAC University (BRACU) auditorium on 14 March 2018.
Professor Adnan Zillur Morshed, chairperson of the Department of Architecture, co-authored “DAC/DHAKA IN 25 BUILDINGS” with architect Nesfun Nahar.
Published from Barcelona, the book explains Dhaka city from a global perspective, its architectural, structural and economic transformation and evolution along with social development and growth of tourism from Mughal era to the present though 25 buildings with detailed maps, illustrations and pictures.
The buildings include the Armenian Church of Holy Resurrection, Curzon Hall and the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Dhaka, Kamalapur Railway Station and Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
This book is a mix of history and heritage, said Vice Chancellor Professor Syed Saad Andaleeb PhD. He congratulated both authors and encouraged them to produce more of such books.
Professor Adnan shared his inspiration behind creating the book through a presentation and the possibility of tourism of Dhaka in his welcome speech.
Speakers opined that the book would represent Dhaka in a novel way and play a vital role in the development of research based and informative tourism in the modern world.
Most of them questioned accessibility of the general public to some of the buildings.
They also discussed the history of architecture in Bangladesh, affordable housing for lower income groups and other urban planning related issues.
Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip ASM Feroz, Ambassador of Spain to Bangladesh Alvaro De Salas, former adviser to a caretaker government Hossain Zillur Rahman, the book’s publisher Ariadna Alvarez Garreta from Barcelona and architects Bashirul Haq and Shamsul Wares were present on the occasion.
A one-minute’s silence was observed for victims of the US-Bangla Airline crash in Nepal on 12 March 2018.