Central business district and Thana in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh
This article is about a central business district and a sub-district in Bangladesh. For other uses, see Motijheel.
Motijheel (Bengali: মতিঝিল) is a central business district and a thana of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is Dhaka's primary Central Business District[4] and also the nation's largest commercial and financial hub.[5] Motijheel, Dhaka's zero point, has the largest number of offices in Dhaka.[6] Motijheel CBD also has one of the highest concentrations of high-rise buildings in Bangladesh. It has thus earned the title of the downtown and city centre of Dhaka and as the bankpara-officepara (neighbourhood of banks and offices) in Bengali.
The area is served by the Dhaka Metro Rail. Shapla Square and Balaka Square are well known roundabouts in Motijheel.
Etymology
The name Motijheel is a combination of two Bengali words, including Moti (Bengali: মতি), which means pearl; and Jheel (Bengali: ঝিল), meaning lake. Hence, the name Motijheel literally means the "Lake of Pearls".
History
During the Bengal Sultanate, a Sufi preacher named Shah Jalal Dakhini lived in the area. His tomb is located within the Bangabhaban premises.[10] Under Mughal rule, the area was known as the abode of Mirza Muhammad Mukim. The area was historically known as Dilkusha. It was the site of the Dilkusha Gardens, a property of the Nawab of Dhaka. Armenians also lived in the area.[11] The area became home to an official residence of the Governor of Bengal and the Viceroy of India. It later became the seat of the Governor of East Pakistan. The President of Bangladesh resides at the Bangabhaban in Motijheel. The presidential palace is surrounded by the Bangabhaban Gardens (formerly the Nawab's Dilkusha Gardens).
Motijheel forms part of downtown Dhaka. It is situated between Old Dhaka to its south and Ramna, Paltan and Segunbagicha to its north. Motijheel lies directly adjacent to Paltan and Segunbagicha. The Ramna area was the colonial part of Dhaka which developed in the early 20th century. Motijheel, which was once the property of the Nawab of Dhaka, was a garden situated between Ramna and Old Dhaka. Motijheel Thana covers an area of 3.69 square kilometres (1.42sqmi). It is bounded by thana of Rampura to the north, Khilgaon Thana to the north and east, Sutrapur Thana to the south, Sabujbagh Thana to the east, Ramna Model Thana to the northwest, and Paltan to the west.[13]
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Motijheel Thana has a population of 210,006 with an average household size of 4.5 members and an average literacy rate of 80.4% against the national average of 51.8% literacy.[2]
Economy
The following companies have their head offices in Motijheel.
Notre Dame College, Dhaka, Notre Dame University Bangladesh is located in Motijheel Thana. The main branch of Ideal School & College and Motijheel Model School & College is also located in Motijheel. T & T High School and the Ideal Government Primary School are also in Motijheel. Other schools and colleges in the thana include Bangladesh Bank High School, Post Office High School, Motijheel Government Girls' High School, Motijheel Government Boys' High School, Shantibagh High School, Shahjahanpur Railway School, Miraj Abbas Degree College, and Abujar Ghifari College.[14]