Introduction:-

​Sylhet (Sylheti: ছিলট Silôţ, Bengali: সিলেট Ṣileţ) is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009.[1] Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills. The city is approaching a population of 500,000 people and has a high population density.[citation needed] It is one of the largest cities in Bangladesh. The Sylhet region is well known for its tea gardens and tropical forests. The city is also known for its business boom; it is one of the richest cities in Bangladesh,[3] with new investments of hotels, shopping malls and luxury housing estates, brought mainly by expatriates living in the United Kingdom.[4][5]

Sylhet has a history of conquests and heritage from different types of cultures. The city is described as a City of Saints,[6] with the mausoleum of the great saint Hazrat Shah Jalal, who brought Islam to Bengal during the 14th century, being located here.[citation needed] During the next few centuries it was part of the state of Assam during the rule of British India. After the partition of India and Pakistan, Sylhet was part of East Pakistan based on a referendum, and is now part of Bangladesh. It played a major role in the Bangladesh Liberation War during the 1970s.[citation needed]



History:-

The two landmarks of the city: Kean Bridge and Al Amjad's Clock

Historians[who?] believe that Sylhet was an expanded commercial center from the ancient period, which explains its original namesake. During this time, Sylhet was inhabited by Indo-Aryan Brahmins, though ethnically the population would also have traces of Assamese, Arabs, Persians and Turks.[citation needed] It has also been suggested that the Ancient Kingdom of Harikela was situated in modern Sylhet.[7][8]

In the ancient and early medieval period, Sylhet was ruled primarily by local chieftains as viceroy of the kings of Pragjyotishpur.[9] There is evidence to suggest that the Maharaja Sri Chandra, of northern Bengal, conquered Bengal in the 10th century, although this is a much disputed topic amongst Bangladeshi historians and archaeologists. This was a period of relative prosperity and there is little evidence to suggest this was marred by wars or feuds. Sylhet was certainly known by the rest of India, and is even referred to in the ancient Hindu sacred Tantric text, the Shakti Sangama Tantra, as 'Silhatta'.[citation needed] The last chieftain to reign in Sylhet was Govinda of Gaur.[10] Sylhet was previously a Brahmin kingdom, controlled by the rajas. Brahmin kingdoms of ancient Sylhet declined and tribal people of mongoloid origin established their chiefdoms in most parts of Sylhet. One of such chieftains was Gobindo of Gaur, commonly known as Gor Gobindo, who was defeated in 1303 by Hazrat Shah Jala Yamani and his 360 Sufi disciples.[11]

Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal
The 14th century marked the beginning of Islamic influence in Sylhet, with the arrivals of Sufi disciples to the region.[12] In 1301, Sylhet was conquered by Shamsu'd-Din Firuz, a Bengali enterprising governor. Sikander Shah rallied his army against Raja Gaur Gobind, because the Raja ordered a man to be killed for sacrificing a cow for his son. But Sikander Shah was defeated by the Raja.[13] A messianic Muslim saint, Shah Jalal, arrived in Sylhet in 1303 from Mecca via Delhi and Dhaka with the instructions for aiding Sikhander Khan Ghazi in defeating Govinda of Gaur.[6][14] Ghazi was the direct nephew of Sultan Firoz Shah of Delhi. Under the spiritual leadership of Shah Jalal and his 360 companions, many people converted to Islam and began spreading the religion to other parts of the country. Shah Jalal died in Sylhet in or around the year 1350. His shrine is located in the north of the city, inside the perimeter of the mosque complex known as Dargah-e-Shah Jalal.[15] Even today Shah Jalal remains revered and visitors arrive from all over Bangladesh and beyond to pay homage.[6] Saints such as Shah Jalal Shah Paran and Shah Kamal Qahafan were responsible for the conversion of most of the populace from the native religion of Hinduism or Buddhism to Islam. Shortly thereafter, Sylhet became a center of Islam in Bengal. In the official documents and historical papers, Sylhet was often referred to as Jalalabad during the era of the Muslim rule.[16][17]

British rule in the Indian subcontinent began in the 18th century. During the period the British East India Company employed Indian lascars which included Sylhetis.[18] In the late 18th century, the British East India Company became interested in Sylhet and saw it as an area of strategic importance in the war against Burma. Sylhet was gradually absorbed into British control and administration and was governed as a part of Bengal. In 1778, the East India Company appointed Robert Lindsay[disambiguation needed] of Sylhet, who started trading and governing the region, making fortune. He was disregarded by the local Sylhetis and other Muslims.[citation needed] In 1781, a devastating flood struck the region which wiped out crops and killing a third of the population. The locals blamed the British for not preventing the greatness of the event, which led to an uprising, led by Syed Hadi and Syed Mahdi (known as the Pirzada). Lindsay's army was defiant and defeated the Piraza in battle in Sylhet.[citation needed] The numbers of lascars grew during the wars, some ending up on the docks of London and Liverpool temporary, other however established themselves in the communities and married English women. In the next few years during the World War II, many fought in the war and some were serving in ships in poor conditions, which led to many escaping and settling in London, opening Indian curry cafes and restaurants.[19][20]

After the British administrative reorganisation of India, Sylhet was eventually incorporated into Assam. It remained a part of Assam for the rest of the era of British rule. In 1947, following a referendum, almost all of erstwhile Sylhet became a part of East Pakistan, barring the Karimganj subdivision which was incorporated into the new Indian state of Assam.[21] The referundum was held on 6 July 1947, 239,619 people voted to join Pakistan and 184,041 voted to remain part of India.[22] The referendum was acknowledged by Article 3 of the India Independence Act of 18 July 1947.[23] In 1971, Sylhet became part of the newly formed independent country of Bangladesh.[16]

Sylhet has a "Friendship Link" with the city of St Albans in the United Kingdom. The link was established in 1988 when the District council supported a housing project in Sylhet as part of the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.[citation needed] Sylhet was chosen because it is the area of origin for the largest ethnic minority group in St Albans.[24] In July 1996, the mayor of Sylhet, Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, signed the Twinning accord between Sylhet and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (home to around 40,000 Sylhetis at the time), with the mayor of Tower Hamlets late Albert Jacobs in London.[25] In March 2009, the Mayor of Sylhet, Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form another Friendship Link between Sylhet and the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale (home to around 8,000 Sylhetis at present), with the Mayor of Rochdale Cllr Keith Swift at the Sylhet City Corporation

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Geography and climate:-

Sylhet is located at 24.8917°N 91.8833°E, in the north eastern region of Bangladesh within the Sylhet Division, within the Sylhet District and Sylhet Sadar Upazila. The climate of Sylhet is humid subtropical with a predominantly hot and humid summer and a relatively cool winter. The city is within the monsoon climatic zone, with annual average highest temperatures of 23 °C (Aug–Oct) and average lowest temperature of 7 °C (Jan). Nearly 80% of the annual average rainfall of 3,334 mm occurs between May and September.[26]

The city is located within the region where there are hills and basins which constitute one of the most distinctive regions in Bangladesh. The physiography of Sylhet consists mainly of hill soils, encompassing a few large depressions known locally as "beels" which can be mainly classified as oxbow lakes, caused by tectonic subsidence primarily during the earthquake of 1762. It is flanked by the Indian states of the Meghalaya in the north, Assam in the east, Tripura in the south and the Bangladesh districts of Netrokona, Kishoregonj and Brahmanbaria in the west. The area covered by Sylhet Division is 12,569 km², which is about 8% of the total land area of Bangladesh.

Geologically, the region is complex having diverse sacrificial geomorphology; high topography of Plio-Miocene age such as Khasi and Jaintia hills and small hillocks along the border. At the centre there is a vast low laying flood plain of recent origin with saucer shaped depressions, locally called Haors. Available limestone deposits in different parts of the region suggest that the whole area was under the ocean in the Oligo-Miocene. In the last 150 years three major earthquakes hit the city, at a magnitude of at least 7.5 on the Richter Scale, the last one took place in 1918, although many people are unaware that Sylhet lies on the earthquake prone zone of Bangladesh.[27]



Culture;-

Further information: Culture of Bangladesh

The gate of Shah Jalal Dargah
Given its unique cultural and economic development, and linguistic differences (Greater Sylhet region was a part of Assam and Surma Valley State for much of the British Raj in comparison to the rest of Bangladesh), and given that Sylhet has, for most of its recent history, been a region of a larger entity.[74][75] As so many Sylhetis are resident abroad, Sylhet has a major flow of foreign currency from non-resident Bangladeshis. The major holidays celebrated in Sylhet include traditional and religious celebrations, Muslim festivals of Ramadan and then after, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.[76] Colourful Hindu festivals celebrated by the Hindu community, are the Raspurnima, Jhulan Jatra and Roth Jatra.[77] Cultural or nationalistic celebrations include the Language Movement Day, this is where wreaths are laid at the Shaheed Minar paying tribute to the martyrs, the Bangladeshi Independence Day, Victory Day celebrated with parades by school and academies, and the Pohela Baishakh—celebration of the Bengali New Year.

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Eatopia Kabab and Curry, Zindabazar, Sylhet.
The contemporary city lifestyle is influenced by European and Bangladeshi culture.
All Bangladeshi television channels are available as in throughout the country via cable or satellite, such as Channel i, NTV or ATN Bangla in the Bengali language including many other Indian channels. There are no national television stations based in Sylhet or broadcasting programs in Sylheti, however the British-owned Channel S has a team, correspondents and reporters based in the city and the region mostly with Sylheti programs.[78] The main newspapers produced in the city includes Sylheter Dak, Jalalabad, Manchitra, Probasha Protidin, Daily Sylhet Sanglap, and Aajker Sylhet.[79] The first Grameenphone Centre opened in Sylhet on 20 May 2007, which was the first telecommunication centre in the city.[80] The most celebrated personalities in Sylhet include Shah Jalal, who was one of the greatest saints in the region, credited for the conversion of people in the Bengal region. His tomb lies in the Shah Jalal Dargah Mazar Sharif in the north, which is still as used as a place of pilgrimage,[81] M. A. G. Osmani was the commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War,[82] and Abdus Samad Azad, was the first politician from Sylhet to be a member of the cabinet in the government. Sylhet has also influenced much of the music in Bangladesh, notable legends include Hason Raja, Radha Romon and Shah Abdul Karim who have produced Bangladeshi folk music.[83][84]

Sylheti attachment to their regional identity also continues in the efforts of many Sylhetis to keep marital relationships within the same regional cultural background.[85] Sylheti people are considered as a distinct ethnic group in Bangladesh;[4] this is mainly because of language differences between the standard Bengali and Sylheti, and they are fiercely protective of their language. There are also many cultural and customary differences between Bengalis and Sylhetis.[86] Many Sylhetis only marry within the Sylheti-speaking community, and not people from other regions of Bangladesh. They are also more family-orientated and follow a community type of culture, and are more conservative Muslims.[87] These stereotypes have led to some rivalry between non-Sylhetis and Sylhetis, due to differences of cultural customs.[88] Marriages are practised in a traditional Bengali Muslim style, with the gae holud ritual, and the holy prayers.