Segunbagicha () is an upscale

residential A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...

, administrative, commercial, and institutional

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in south-central

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, Bangladesh. The neighbourhood is an important area of Dhaka featuring a large number of government and residential complexes. It acts as a bridge between the major thanas of

Ramna Ramna () is a thana (precinct) in central Dhaka and a historic colonial neighbourhood. Once the site of Mughal gardens, it developed into an institutional area during British rule in the late 19th century. It became a focal point for Dhaka's ...

Shahbag Shahbagh (also Shahbaugh or Shahbag, , ) is a major neighbourhood and a police precinct or ''thana'' in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is also a major public transport hub. It is a junction between two contrasting section ...

Dhanmondi Dhanmondi () is an upscale residential and commercial neighbourhood and a Thanas of Bangladesh, thana (police jurisdiction) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, known for its central location, cultural vibrancy and being home to the country's founding president, ...

Paltan Paltan is a thana (precinct) of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It is often said to be the center of Dhaka, dividing "Old Dhaka" and "New Dhaka". Paltan was made a thana in 2005 by then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Paltan Thana was forme ...

and

Motijheel Motijheel () is a central business district and a thana of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is Dhaka's primary central business district, and also the nation's largest commercial and financial hub. Motijheel, located immediately adjacent to Dhaka's zero ...

, and is located at the crossroads of Ramna, Shahbag and Paltan

thanas Thanas is an Albanian and Ukrainian (''Танас'') given name and onomastic toponym element. The definite form is ''Thanasi''. It is derived from the Greek ''Athanasios'', with the Latin derived equivalent ''Tanush''. Thanas is also considered to ...

. Segunbagicha is a centre of government office building and institutions including the headquarters of The Directorate General of National Security Intelligence, Anti-Corruption Commission (commonly known as ''duduk; দুদক''), ''Motsho Bhobon'' (building of Department of Fisheries),

Bangladesh Secretariat The Bangladesh Secretariat () is the administrative headquarters of the Government of Bangladesh, and houses the majority of ministries and government agencies and bodies, located in Segunbagicha, Dhaka. The secretariat can refer to the complex ...

, the

International Mother Language Institute The International Mother Language Institute (IMLI, ) is a statutory body in Bangladesh whose function is the preservation of languages. History Planning for the International Mother Language Institute (IMLI), intended to promote Bangla and pre ...

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (; ) or simply known as Shilpakala Academy is the principal state-sponsored national cultural centre of Bangladesh. It is a academy of fine and performing arts. History It is the national academy of fine and pe ...

, the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

, the Bangladesh Department of Architecture, the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

as well as several tax zones.

History

During the

British Bengal The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

era, two English officers, Captain Graham and Colonel Stecky built a garden in the area. Among all the plants in the garden, there were numerous

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

trees, called ''segun'' (pronounced as ''shegun'') in Bengali. The neighbourhood got its name for the teak trees it contained. The responsibility of the area was then handed over to the municipality after the officers moved to another part of Dacca. The municipality then decided to cut down the trees. In the late 1940s, Segunbagicha was a desolate and solitary area, located on the outskirts of the Dacca city. It was sparsely populated, but it hosted mostly Hindu intellects and used to be a residential colony where many educated doctors, lawyers, teachers and other intellects resided. However, Segunbagicha quickly became occupied due to the influx of migrants. The first Chinese restaurant in Dhaka (then Dacca), "Café China", was set up in the neighbourhood. According to Bangladeshi writer Qazi Anwar Hossain, there were only a few low-rise buildings in the sparsely populated Segunbagicha in the 1950s. The area also hosted a huge

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad Ibrahim (; – 6 September 1989) was a Bangladeshi physician. He established Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM), the diabetes health-care and research institute c ...

, a Bangladeshi physician, who later founded the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders at Shahbagh, set up a tin-shed out-patients clinic in Segunbagicha in the 1950s to fight diabetes. When the country's founder

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

was appointed as the first Bengali chairman of the Pakistan Tea Board, he moved to the erstwhile 115 Segunbagicha. After Mujib was arrested, his family moved to the erstwhile 76, Segunbagicha. After he was released, him and his family moved to Dhanmondi. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the primary

cultural centre A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

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 ...

was set up in 1974 in Segunbagicha.

Etymology

Segunbagicha is a junction of two

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

words, ''Segun'' (, ''

romanised In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

: Shegun''), meaning

(''Tectona grandis''), which is a species of plant native to

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

and ''Bagicha'' (, ''

: Bagicha''), meaning garden. Therefore, the name "Segunbagicha" literally translates to "The Garden of Teak" or "The Garden of Teak Trees". The naming therefore suggests that this location was once a site of teak trees. But there are still some teak trees in open spaces.

Geography

The coordinates of this area are approximately . To the north of Segunbagicha lies

Kakrail Kakrail () is a neighbourhood in Dhaka. It is under Ramna Thana and falls under the jurisdiction of Dhaka South City Corporation. Over time, Kakrail has grown into a mostly residential area, with apartment plots and schools, but subsequently, sever ...

and to the west lies the

Supreme Court of Bangladesh Supreme Court of Bangladesh () is the highest court of law in the country. It is composed of the High Court Division, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, High Court Division and the Appellate Division, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, Appellate Division, ...

and the iconic

Ramna Park Ramna Park (, or ) is a significant urban green space renowned for its historical significance and recreational amenities, situated at the centre of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Described as the "lungs of Dhaka City," the park was built during the Britis ...

Paltan Thana Paltan is a thana (precinct) of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It is often said to be the center of Dhaka, dividing "Old Dhaka" and "New Dhaka". Paltan was made a thana in 2005 by then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Paltan Thana was formed ...

is to the east of Segunbagicha, of which the Bijoy Nagar-Purana Paltan area borders the area. Areas like

Moghbazar Maghbazar () or Mogbazar is a neighbourhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is located near the neighbourhoods of Tejgaon, Segunbagicha, Ramna and Malibagh, under the jurisdiction of Ramna and Hatirjheel thanas. Its origins date back to the Mughal Em ...

, Eskaton,

Malibagh Malibagh or Malibag () is a neighbourhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It holds the distinction of being one of the oldest and most traditional neighbourhoods in the city. Considered one of the most populated areas in Dhaka, the area falls under the preci ...

, Shantinagar,

, Bailey Road,

h neighbourhood, Siddheswari,

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

campus area,

New Market New Market may refer to: Bangladesh *New Market, Dhaka *New Market, Khulna, in Sonadanga Model Thana *New Market, Chittagong, near Government City College, Chittagong India * New Market, Bhopal *New Market, Kolkata Jamaica *New Market, Jam ...

and New Elephant Road are also adjacent to Segunbagicha. Segunbagicha is located in the south-central part of Dhaka and falls under the jurisdiction of

Dhaka South City Corporation Dhaka South City Corporation (), is a local governing body that manages all civic services in the southern part of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The DSCC government is elected by popular vote every five years. It is headed by a mayor, who p ...

and is located in

Shahbagh Thana Shahbagh (also Shahbaugh or Shahbag, , ) is a major neighbourhood and a police precinct or ''thana'' in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is also a major public transport hub. It is a junction between two contrasting section ...

, and formerly in

Ramna Thana Ramna () is a Thanas of Bangladesh, thana (precinct) in central Dhaka and a historic colonial neighbourhood. Once the site of Mughal Empire, Mughal gardens, it developed into an institutional area during British Raj, British rule in the late ...

. The area is a part of Word No. 20 of DSCC. It was previously a part of Ward No. 56 of

DCC DCC may refer to: Biology * Netrin receptor DCC, human receptor protein, and the gene encoding it * Dosage compensation complex Business * Day Chocolate Company * DCC plc, an Irish holding company * Doppelmayr Cable Car, cable car company * D ...

. Segunbagicha is within the boundaries of

Dhaka-8 Dhaka-8 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Boundaries The constituency consists of wards 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 19, 20, 21 of Dhaka South City Corporation. History The constitu ...

constituency of Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad.

Notable institutes

Government institutions

* The Directorate General of National Security Intelligence HQ * Anti Corruption Commission(commonly known as ''ACC''; ''দুদক'') * Department of Fisheries and

Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MOFL, ; ''Maṯsya ō prāṇisampada mantraṇālaẏa'') is a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh whose role is ensuring the sustainable utilisation of fisheries and livest ...

Department of Architecture (Bangladesh) Department of Architecture () is a government department under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works in Bangladesh. The Department of Architecture is the only Government organization to impart architectural services under the Ministry of Hous ...

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bangladesh) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (; Pronounced: ''Pòrôrāshtro Mōntronàlôy''), abbreviated as MOFA, is the Bangladeshi state ministry which oversees foreign relations of Bangladesh. It is headquartered in Segunbagicha, Dhaka. Fundamental forei ...

Department of Narcotics Control Department of Narcotics Control (Bengali: মাদকদ্রব্য নিয়ন্ত্রণ অধিদপ্তর, romanized: Mādakadrabya niẏantraṇa adhidaptara) is the main government agency responsible for narcotics control ...

National Press Club A press club is an organization for journalists and others who are professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press Club ...

* National Housing Authority *

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

* Department of Explosives *

Bangladesh Press Council Bangladesh Press Council () is an quasi-judicial institution that protects freedom of speech and regulates the press in Bangladesh and is located in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, Bangladesh. History The act to establish the institution was passed in 1974 ...

* Geological Survey of Bangladesh * Customs Bond Commissionerate (CBC), Dhaka * Health Economics Unit * Office of the Controller General of Accounts

Cultural centres

* National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts; Shilpakala Academy * National Art Gallery

Medical institutions

* BIRDEM 2

Corporate offices

* Gazi Television (GTV) *Super Star Group *Techno Drugs Ltd. *Synovia Pharma, a subsidiary of BEXIMCO Pharmaceuticals *

Credit Rating Information and Services Limited Credit Rating Information and Services Limited (CRISL) is the first credit rating company in Bangladesh. This company was incorporated with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies in 1992 and Credit Rating Company rules 1996 as a recognized Extern ...

Education

Ibrahim Medical College Ibrahim Medical College (IMC) is a private medical school in Bangladesh, established in 2002. It is located in the Shahbag neighborhood of Dhaka. It has another campus in Shegunbagicha. It is affiliated with University of Dhaka as a constituent ...

*Segunbagicha High School *Ideal Model Government Primary School *Begum Rahima Ideal Girls High School *National Academy for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities *Dhaka Law College

Culture

Segunbagicha is home to the

, perhaps the largest cultural centre in the country. During Bangla New Year, Segunbagicha bustles with vibrant stalls, people with cultural attires and accessories and splashes of various cultural symbols of Bengal floats all across the neighbourhood. The prime reason for such attraction of crowds during cultural seasons in this neighbourhood is its strategic location. The area sits on and beside the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

, the

Ramna Race Course Suhrawardy Udyan () is a national memorial and public space located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Originally known as Ramna Race Course, it holds significant historical importance due to its association with key events in the country's history. The sit ...

(officially the Suhrawardy Udyan), the

and the Shilpakala Academy.

Transportation

Important roads like

Topkhana Road Topkhana Road is a road spanning across Segunbagicha and Paltan areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a major road that houses many important government buildings. The road starts at the Foreign Ministry intersection at Segunbagicha and ends in the Do ...

, Moulana Bhasani Road, Segun Bagicha Road, Abdul Ghani Road and the National Eidgah Street run through and around the neighbourhood. Segunbagicha has a

metro station A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...

called

, which lies on

MRT Line 6 The MRT Line 6 () is a rapid transit line of the Dhaka Metro Rail. Despite its number, it is Bangladesh's first rapid transit line and has been in service since 2022. The line is entirely elevated and currently has 16 stations operational in serv ...

Dhaka Metro Rail The Dhaka Metro Rail () is a rapid transit, mass rapid transit system serving Dhaka (currently from Uttara North to Motijheel), the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is operated by the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL). Toget ...

on the route from Uttara North towards

. The station building is located near the Bangladesh Secretariat,

Press Club A press club is an organization for journalists and others who are professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press Club ...

and the

Gallery

File:Segunbagicha (1).jpg, Skyline of Segunbagicha File:Department of Architecture, HQ, Dhaka, Bangladesh..jpg, Department of Architecture, HQ File:Roads in Dhaka .jpg, Road in the Segunbagicha-Kakrail area File:Public Works Department, HQ, Dhaka.jpg, Public Works Department, HQ File:Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) SegunBagicha.jpg, Anti Corruption Commission HQ, Segun Bagicha

References

External links

* {{commons category-inline Neighbourhoods in Dhaka