The Nimtali arch (known in Bengali as Nimtali Deuri) is an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vau ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

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, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

dating from the

Mughal period The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. It was the gateway to the palace of the

Naib Nazim of Dhaka The Naib Nazim of Dhaka, officially the Naib Nazim of Jahangir Nagar, was the chief Mughal political officer in the city of Dhaka, the present-day capital of Bangladesh, between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries. It was the second highest office ...

, the deputy governor of

Bengal Subah The Bengal Subah ( bn, সুবাহ বাংলা; fa, ), also referred to as Mughal Bengal ( bn, মোগল বাংলা), was the largest subdivision of the Mughal Empire (and later an independent state under the Nawabs of Beng ...

in the Mughal Empire. Today, the structure is located on the premises of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh and houses the Asiatic Society Heritage Museum. It is a public museum showcasing Dhaka's history in the 18th and 19th centuries.

History

Nimtali Palace

Nimtali Palace was the residence of the

Naib Nazim Subahdar, also known as Nazim or in English as a "Subah", was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Mughal era ( of India who w ...

(Deputy-Governor) of Dhaka-Niabat (Dhaka Division) in the 18th and 19th centuries. Dhaka Division covered large parts of eastern Bengal, including present-day

Comilla Comilla (; bn, কুমিল্লা, Kumillā, ), officially spelled Cumilla, is the fifth largest city of Bangladesh and second largest in Chittagong division. It is the administrative centre of the Comilla District. The name Comilla wa ...

Noakhali Noakhali ( bn, নোয়াখালী, , New canal), historically known as Bhulua ( bn, ভুলুয়া), is a district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in the Chittagong Division. It was established as district in 1821, and officia ...

and

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

. Dhaka Division was one of the largest sources of revenue for the Mughal Empire, including the imperial court in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

and the court of the

Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...

Murshidabad Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district. Duri ...

. The Naib Nazims were responsible for revenue collection, relations with foreign trading companies and the Mughal Navy. They built the Nimtali Palace around 1765–1766. Their power gradually declined after the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

took control of Dhaka in 1793. The Naib Nazims continued live in opulence, along with the Dhaka elite. The office of the Naib Nazim was abolished in 1843 as the British consolidated control over India. The palace eventually fell into ruins. Only the gateway of the palace has survived to this day. It is called ''Nimtali Deuri'' in Bengali. The arch was depicted in many paintings of European artists during

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. Charles D'Oyly depicted the arch in his works. In several historical texts and paintings, it was depicted as part of the Dhaka

Nawab Nawab (Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

Palace.

Asiatic Society

On 3 January 1953,

Ahmad Hassan Dani Ahmad Hassan Dani (Urdu: احمد حسن دانی) FRAS, SI, HI (20 June 1920 – 26 January 2009) was a Pakistani archaeologist, historian, and linguist. He was among the foremost authorities on Central Asian and South Asian archaeology ...

founded the Asiatic Society of Pakistan on the grounds of Nimtali Palace. The organization was formed as a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership ...

modelled on the

Asiatic Society of Bengal The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...

. In 1972, the organization was renamed as the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

Architecture

The arch is an example of

Indo-Islamic architecture Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establ ...

. The arch has two distinct facades. On one side, the facade includes two hanging Mughal style canopies. On another side, the facade is a large arch in the Mughal style. It is possibly an evolution of the 'Shaista Khan Style', which was a style of Mughal architecture unique to Dhaka.

Restoration

Amid public concern over maintenance, the Asiatic Society undertook an extensive restoration of the arch between 2009 and 2011. This was supported by the Bangladeshi Ministry of Cultural Affairs on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Dhaka's founding under Mughal rule. The restoration cost BDT 1.5 crore.

Museum

A public museum showcasing the life of Dhaka's elite in the 18th and 19th centuries is now housed inside the arch's three floors. It was opened in January 2019. The ground floor includes video presentations, records of Dhaka's history and tributes to the founders of the Asiatic Society. The second floor showcases belongings of the Naib Nazims, including paintings, chest boxes and tea cups. The third floor has the largest collection of exhibits spanning the Mughal and British periods, including a prop up of the Naib Nazim's court,

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

, coins, clippings of the ''

Lloyd's Evening Post ''Lloyd's Evening Post'', also known as ''The London Packet'' and ''Lloyd's Evening Post and British Chronicle'', was a British evening newspaper published tri-weekly in London from 1757 to 1808. Founded shortly after the ''London Chronicle'' and ...

'', paintings,

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate hand ...

and other historical items.

References

{{coord missing, Bangladesh Museums in Dhaka Old Dhaka History of Dhaka Mughal architecture Buildings and structures in Dhaka Palaces in Bangladesh Royal residences in Bangladesh Forts in Bangladesh