UNESCO World Heritage Sites In Bangladesh

Bangladesh is represented on the UNESCO list by two religious sites and one of South Asia's most biodiverse areas.

Bangladesh, a nation in the Indian sub-continent, with a population of 166 million people, has two significant religious sites as well as a biodiverse area that has been listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Two tourist destinations, the Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur and the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat have been listed as cultural World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh. The Sundarbans is designated as a natural World Heritage Site in the country.

Historic Mosque City Of Bagerhat

The Mosque City in Bargehat is located where the River Brahmaputra and Gangel meet. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1985. The city was founded by a Turkish-born Ulugh Khan Jahan in the 15th century and was built using bricks. Forbes categorizes the city as one out of the fifteen lost cities of the world. The city is a tourist destination, and some of its former structures include 360 mosques, mausoleums, roads, bridges and other public buildings constructed from baked bricks. However, the city was in ruins after the death of the founder Ulukh Khan. Bagerhat Museum located next to sixty pillar mosque contains pottery and ornamental bricks. The wall in the western part of the nine dome mosque faces Mecca, a religious pilgrim at the center of religion for Muslims.

Ruins Of The Buddhist Vihara At Paharpur

This World Heritage Sites, inscribed in 1985 by UNESCO, is located in the southwest of the country and was built by Dharmapala Vikramshila between 770-810AD as a monastery. At the base, are sixty stone sculptures that testify to the belief system of Hinduism and it is the largest Buddhist monastery constructed at the time. It has unique features such as the outside walls decorated with ornamental terracotta, influenced by Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism art. The area is under the government protection and managed by the local office. The department of archaeology deals with the management and conservation aspects. The ruins play a significant cultural role since the statues recovered from the area are a constant reminder of the culture of the local people.The design was influenced by cultures as far as Indonesia.

Sundarbans: The Abode Of The Royal Bengal Tigers

The Sundarbans is a mangrove forest, which is approximately 140,000 hectares on the delta of Ganges and Meghna rivers in Bengal Bay. It was inscribed in 1987 as a natural world heritage site by UNESCO. It has unique features such as mudflats and tidal waterways. The Sundarban is located to the southwest of Bangladesh and has been recognized internationally for having mangrove flora and fauna on both land and water. It has around 260 different species of birds, Bengal Tiger; the only family of cats that is almost instinct, and the famous Indian python.

The Sunderbans species attract tourists around the world. They come to carry out scientific research as well as observe the diverse species of both plants and animals. Conservation efforts are implemented to keep the Sundarbans safe from illegal hunting and other human activities like agriculture. The government has passed a law to protect the ecosystem and maintain the biodiversity. Although the tourism sector is affected by impassable roads, several measures including investment in infrastructure are underway. Although there are protection efforts, the topography of the region and the hostile terrain and the international border makes it difficult to monitor and control poaching and woodcutting of the mangrove trees. The Sundarban Tiger Reserve is also face numerous challenges in managing wandering Tigers, and reports of human-tiger conflicts are quite frequent.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites In Bangladesh

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in BangladeshYear of Inscription; Type
Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat
1985; Cultural
Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur
1985; Cultural
Sundarbans1997; Natural

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