Description of the attraction
The Bangladesh National Museum, officially opened on November 17, 1983, is one of the largest in South Asia. Its predecessor, the Dhaka Museum, was founded on 7 August 1913.
The National Museum is dedicated to archeology, classical, decorative and applied and contemporary art, history, natural history, ethnography and world civilization. The National Museum houses magnificent collections of artifacts dating from prehistoric times to the present. It is extremely rich in stone, metal and wood sculptures, gold, silver and copper coins, stone inscriptions and copper terracotta plates, as well as other artifacts of archaeological interest.
The museum houses one of the largest collections of weapons and armor in the Indian subcontinent. Collections of decorative and applied art are very interesting, in particular wood products, metal products and embroidered bedspreads. Its halls display exhibits on natural history and ethnography. Collections include footwear, boats (including those restored according to old models), ceramics, furniture, glass and ivory products, metal products, masonry items, wood products, gold and silver jewelry, musical instruments, textiles, costumes … A wide range of folk art is represented by dolls, rugs, fishing accessories, cake models, hookahs and embroidered capes.
One of the four main departments - the department of contemporary art and civilization of the world was founded on December 27, 1975, it displays modern paintings, sculptures and tapestries by masters from Bangladesh, as well as exhibits from different countries. The museum is famous for the collections of works by Zeynul Abedin Shilpacharya, Kvamrul Hasan, S. Mr. Sultan and works of other contemporary artists. Reproductions of the most famous paintings and original objects of art from different countries of the world are kept here. There are seven galleries in this section - Chinese, Iranian, Korean and Swiss painting. In addition, the Department of Contemporary Art and World Civilization conducts lectures, seminars and symposia, arranges exhibitions, and also publishes catalogs.
The Department of History and Classical Art displays artifacts of archaeological interest. These are stone, wooden sculptures and architectural elements, images on brass, copper and bronze, jewelry, manuscripts, documents, miniatures, calligraphy samples, portraits, memorabilia of great and important persons, as well as objects related to the liberation struggle of Bangladesh. The earliest exhibit is a Paleolithic scraper made from fossilized wood.
The Natural History Gallery includes the Sundarbana diorama, rocks and minerals, fossilized wood specimens, corals, fossils. A separate exposition presents various types of rare mollusks, sea fish, tropical plants, flowers and fruits, medicinal herbs and spicy plants, reptiles, mammals, a giant whale skeleton, and rare birds.
Visitors to the museum should take into account the specifics of the work of this institution in winter and summer, as well as during Ramadan.
