Lalbagh Fort

First this fort was called Aurangabad Fort. And this fort was designed by Shah Azam. Azam Shah, the 3rd son of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, started the construction of this fort in 1678 AD as the residence of Subedar of Dhaka. Just a year later, before the construction of the fort was completed, he was summoned to Delhi by Emperor Aurangzeb to quell the Maratha rebellion. At that time, after the construction of a mosque and a Durbar hall, the construction of the fort stopped. Nawab Shaista Khan came to Dhaka in 1680 and started the construction of the fort again. However, after the death of Shaista Khan's daughter Pari Bibi, the fort was considered abandoned and Shaista Khan stopped its construction in 1684 AD. The marriage of Shahzada Azam Shah was fixed with this Pari Bibi. Pari Bibi is buried right between the Durbar Hall and the Mosque. Shaista Khan used to sit in the Durbar Hall and manage the royal affairs. When Shaista Khan retired to Agra in 1688, he bequeathed the ownership of the fort to his heirs. After Shaista Khan left Dhaka, the importance of Lalbagh Fort began to decline due to various reasons. In 1844, a semi-governmental organization called the Dhaka Committee started the development work of the fort. At that time the fort came to be known as Lalbagh Fort. In 1910, the Lalbagh fort wall was brought under the Department of Archeology as a protected structure. Finally, after 300 years of construction, in the 1980s, Lalbagh Fort was restored to its original form and opened to visitors. Among the structures here are Paribibi's tombs which are quite remarkable. It is a fine example of Mughal period. Lalbagh Fort is located in a wide area.