Loading...Leaving the main gate of the Central Jail in Old Dhaka behind, you will find Abul Hasnat Road ahead. On the right, you’ll see Abul Khairat Road, which connects to Noor Boks Road. In between, there’s Navalok Mia Lane. Passing through the steel gate, you will enter to find the red-colored Jamidar Bari (Zamindar House).
The house has two parts: one is red and the other is white. In front of the house, there’s a seasonal flower garden, and inside, there’s a fountain (although it is not functional at the moment). Behind the garden, there’s a beautifully designed Armenian-style red house. The wide walls made of lime and surki, the straw-covered doors and windows, and the floral and vine-like designs on the railings of the roof—everything stands as a testament to time. The one-story red-colored building at the front is the Outer Palace, and the white two-story building inside is the Inner Palace. Together, they occupy three bighas of land. The descendants of Abul Khairat’s sixth generation currently reside here. The remaining three bighas of land were once open spaces and also served as a family graveyard.
It is known that in the 18th century, Moulavi Abul Khairat Mohammad was the zamindar of Dhaka and Sonargaon. He built this house on six bighas of land. The house is nearly 200 years old. The four roads surrounding the house, including Noor Boks Road, Abul Khairat Road, Abul Hasnat Road, and Navalok Mia Lane, are named after the family members of the house. The house, with its centuries-old memories, is known as Jamidar Shaheb Bari. Some parts of this heritage site have still been preserved as a part of Dhaka’s historical architecture.
The Outer Palace is inhabited by the descendants of Jiaul Haque, also known as Navalok Mia, while the Inner Palace is home to the descendants of Abul Hasnat. In the 1950s-60s, the family members separated the two palaces by erecting a wall through the spacious garden in front of the house.
The garden of the Jamidar Bari holds memories of the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. While standing next to the fountain in the garden, I spoke with Abul Mohammad Imran, the grandson of Navalok Mia. He shared that Kazi Nazrul Islam had a close relationship with this family. The poet would stay at this house whenever he visited Dhaka. It is in this very garden that he composed some of his immortal songs like “Bagichai Bulbuli Tui” and “Ke Bideshi Mon Udasir.”
As we toured the Outer Palace, we found that many pieces of furniture and belongings, now part of history, had been carefully arranged inside the main building. In the guest room, there were old sofas, couches, cabinets, bookshelves, flower vases, and a card table. On the walls, portraits of the family members across generations were displayed. Nearby, there is a large hall room where meetings were held during the formation of the United Front. Notable leaders of the time, such as Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq, and Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy, held discussions in this room.
How to Get There:
Starting from the main gate of the Central Jail in Old Dhaka, head straight to Abul Hasnat Road. Turn right onto Abul Khairat Road, which leads to Noor Boks Road. In between, you’ll find Navalok Mia Lane. Passing through the steel gate, you’ll arrive at the red-colored Jamidar Bari.
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