Sylhet is a rich city in northeastern Bangladesh, located on the bank of the Surma River. It has a semitropical climate and rich highland. After Dhaka and Chittagong, Sylhet is the most important city of Bangladesh, due to its importance to the country’s economy. Sylhet produces a massive amount of tea and gas in the country. More than half a million people live in this city.
The name Sylhet comes from Srihatta. In Indo-Aryan languages, Sri means prestige or Beauty. Hatta says a tern for a market place. The name of the region was changed Jalalabad in the sultanate period, but the actual town of Srihatta kept its name. Srihatta became known as Sylhet in English.
Description of Sylhet
In 2001, Sylhet changed to a city corporation from a municipal board. Now the city is administrated by Sylhet City Corporation. There are six metropolitan thanas. They are- Bimanbandar Thana, Kotwali Thana, Jalalabad Thana, Dakhin Surma Thana, Mongla Thana Bazar, Shah Poran Thana.
There are many attractions in this City. Tea gardens, Shah Jalal Majar, Shah poran Majar, Shahi Eidgah, Chandni Ghat, Ali Amjad’s Clock Tower, Keen’s Bridge, Shah Jalal Bridge, Osmani Museum, Parjatan, Theme Park, etc. Other attractions are-
Lawachara National Park
Lawachara National Park located approximately 160kilometers northeast of Dhaka, 60 kilometers south of the city of Sylhet. It is one of the vast regions of the rain forest left in Bangladesh. The fauna here is diverse, and visitors may see gibbons swinging through the trees and birds of all colors and varieties. There are deer, leopards, wild chickens, squirrels, and pythons. Although large mammals used to once live in these forests, such as tigers, leopards, bears, wild dogs, and sambar, most of these are now nearly extinct. However, a small number of medium-sized mammals can still see. The park has a rich diversity of other types of animal life.
Sri Mangal
The tea estates of Sylhet is a popular tourist destination. Sri Mangal has over 150 tea gardens, including three of the most extensive tea gardens in the world(in terms of area and quantity of production). One can have a look at the tea processing at the tea research center. Every year, Bangladesh produces a large amount of high-quality tea. Sri Mangal called’ the land of two leaves and a bud.’ It is also called Camellia, green carpet, or Tea Mountain. You can have to take the seven-layer tea at Sri Mangal. Besides the tea estates, it is the place of natural beauty with numeral forests, waterfalls, and hills.
Madhabkundo Eco Park
Madhabkundo Eco-park located at Moulovibazar, Sylhet. It was declared an eco-park in 2001 to preserve the waterfall and its natural surroundings. The waterfall drains millions of tons of water from a height of 200feet. Leafy forests surround it, and the base of the waterfall littered with a large boulder and big black stones. The park area is about 267 hectares with wild animals and lovely natural beauty. Some are birds and plant species found here.
Jaflong
Jaflong is a hill station, is a popular tourist destination in Sylhet. It situated at the border between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Meghalaya, surrounded by mountains and rainforests.
Jaflong is famous for mainly stone collection activity and waterfall. It is home to the Khashia tribe.
Ratargul Swamp Forest
Ratargul Swamp Forest also located in Sylhet and the only Swamp forest in Bangladesh. It is one of the few freshwater forests in the earth. Many wild animals and birds live here, and the beauty of the wood is at its best during the monsoon.
Bichanakandi
Bichanakandi is located at the Bangladesh-India border, Hadarpar, Goainghat, in Sylhet. It is a beautiful place for travelers who love natural beauty. Bichanakandi is one of the picturesque beauty with its many gardens and rolling hills. It is famous for crystal water, stone, hills, green, and vast landscape. Bichanakandi is also well-known for its quarries.
Things to do in Sylhet
You can visit all the major attractions in the day time. In Sylhet, there is no nightlife. Some bars are available in big hotels.
There is a variety of malls and bazaars which you can buy a lot of things. Zindabazar is the shopper’s area where most of the big malls located. However, the places you can shop- Al-Hamra, Blue Water, Aarong, Monorom, Artisty, Westex, London Mansion, Manipuri Bazar, Millenium.
Besides these, there are two major public universities in Sylhet-‘ShahJalal University of Science and Technology’ and ‘Sylhet Agriculture University.’ Osmany medical college and many hospitals
are there in Sylhet. There are also some colleges in Sylhet. They are- Jalalabad Cantonment public school and college, MAG Osmani Medical College, Sylhet Women’s Medical College, Sylhet Engineering College, etc.
Tilagor is another place with small and huge hills that were cut or not. There are many poultry farms and houses on cut hills. Raja-Kunjo, Zindabazar(Folk Museum) is another attraction in Sylhet.