Department of Archaeology (, ) is one of the government agency of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. By the ''Laws of Archaeology 1964'' (amended in 1976) this agency maintains the conservation and preservation of archaeological sites in the country. Since 2013, the department has been running its activities from the Administration Building situated in Agargaon in Dhaka.

History

The organization was first founded in 1861 as a part of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

. After the independence of Bangladesh its office was established in Dhaka.
Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh
', Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Retrieved 29 June 2013. In 1983 regional offices were established in the then 4 divisions including Dhaka as the headquarter by divisional rearrangement.

Agency Functions

Department of Archaeology (Bangladesh) compiles and also conserves the list of archaeological sites and artifacts of Bangladesh. Currently (June 2016) there are 452 archaeological sites under the conservation of this department. Some of the mentionable among them are-

Mahasthangarh Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological sites discovered thus far in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj upazila of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardha ...

Mainamati Moinamoti () is an isolated low, dimpled range of hills, dotted with more than 50 ancient Buddhist vihara, settlements dating between the 8th and 12th century Common Era, CE. It was part of the ancient Samatata division of Bengal. It extends throug ...

Somapura Mahavihara Somapura Mahavihara (), also known as Paharpur Buddhist Vihara (), is a major Buddhist monastery (''mahavihara'') in Paharpur, Badalgachhi, Naogaon, Bangladesh. It is among the best known Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent and is one ...

, Shita Coat Bihar, Nawabganj,

Kantajew Temple Kantanagar Temple, commonly known as Kantaji Temple or Kantajew Temple () at Kantanagar, is a Hindu temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The Kantajew Temple is a religious edifice belonging to the 18th century. The temple belongs to the Hindu Kanta ...

, Choto Sona Mosque,

Sixty Dome Mosque The Sixty Dome Mosque (), is a historical mosque, located in Bagerhat, in the Khulna Division of Bangladesh. It is a part of the Mosque City of Bagerhat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest mosque in Bangladesh from the Bengal Sult ...

, Vasu Vihara, Barobazar,

Lalbagh Fort The Lalbagh Fort () is a historic fort situated in the old city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Its name is derived from its neighbourhood Lalbagh, which means Red Garden. The term Lalbagh refers to reddish and pinkish hues in the Mughal architecture. Th ...

. Among these, Somapura Mahavihara and Sixty Dome Mosque have been recognized as

World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

. Also there are 17

Archaeology museums An archaeology museum is a museum that specializes in the display of archaeological artifacts. Many archaeology museum are in the open air, such as the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Roman Forum.David Watkin. ''The Roman Forum.'' Cambridge, Ma ...

under the administration of this department. The department works on to recover history by discovering ancient cultural elements from remote areas scattered within the country, and to repair and preserve the discovered monuments and exhibit them.

Museums

Currently there are 17 museums administered by Department of Archaeology.

Dhaka Division

* Lalbagh Museum * Panam Nagar * Baliati Museum * Mymensingh Museum

Rajshahi Division

* Paharpur Museum * Bagha Museum * Archaeological Museum, Mahasthan * Rabindra Kachharibari Museum * Patisar Museum * Chalan Beel Museum

Rangpur Division

* Tajhat Palace Museum

Khulna Division

* Khulna Divisional Museum * Bagerhat Museum * Shilaidaha Kuthibari Museum * M.M. Dutt Bari Museum * Rabindra Complex, Dakkhindihi

Chittagong Division

* Mainamati Museum * Ethnological Museum, Chittagong

Barisal Division

* Sher-e-Bangla Sriti Museum

External links

List of PublicationHeritage Sell Department of Archaeology Videos

References

{{authority control Government agencies of Bangladesh Bangladesh, Archaeology, Department of Government departments of Bangladesh Organisations based in Dhaka 1972 establishments in Bangladesh Archaeology of Bangladesh