Restoring the Dhaka Gate, a historical part of our 400-year-old city
Dhaka Gate restoration project, at a cost of Tk70 lakh, will be completed in a month
If you want to know how big Old Dhaka was during the Mughal era, you have to know about Dhaka Gate. At that time, one had to enter the city through this gate.
Dhaka Gate, which stands close to the Doyel Chattar on the Dhaka University campus, was on the verge of being completely ruined due to negligence and lack of proper maintenance for ages.
However, the Dhaka South City Corporation has taken up a project to restore this historical monument, which was once an integral part of our 400-year-old city.
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Professor Abu Sayeed M Ahmed, a renowned architect and an architectural conservation specialist, is the project's consultant. He said that during the rule of Mir Jumla, Dhaka as a town began from here and stretched all the way to the shore of the Buriganga River.
Mir Jumla was a renowned Subahdar of Bengal (1660-1663) under Emperor Aurangzeb. An Iranian by birth, his original name was Mir Muhammad Said, according to Banglapedia.
"The purpose of conserving Dhaka Gate is to make the public aware of its historical significance," said Professor Ahmed.
However, this is not the first time Dhaka Gate is being restored. Professor Ahmed said that at the end of 1800, Dhaka's magistrate Charles D'Oyly rebuilt the gate at the same place.
Then, in the 1960s, Lieutenant General Azam Khan widened the road and renamed it Shahbag Avenue. At that time, one portion of the gate was relocated and rebuilt near Shishu Park.
Now, a total of 12 artisans are working to restore the Dhaka Gate again. The gate was renovated in the past with 3-inch by 10-inch sized bricks. However, the original bricks used in the Mughal era were 1.5 inches by 4 inches.
There are six pillars and except for one original pillar, the rest of Dhaka Gate will be plastered.
"One pillar will not be plastered so that people can see the original bricks and understand how the gate once looked liked," said Mohammad Moshlem, lead artisan of the project. "We will fix the damaged areas of the pillars with traditional components including lime and surkhi [powdered brick or brick dust]."
This time an arrangement of lighting and seating space will be provided for visitors. The authority also brought in granite stones from Madhyapara Granite Mining Company Limited to use in the project but according to Moshlem, it is too hard and they cannot cut it. So, they are going to put the granite on display for visitors who can also sit on it.
Mir Jumla's cannon, which is now kept in Osmani Uddyan, will also be brought here.
The project cost is around Tk70 lakh.
Restoration artisans on the decline
Mohammad Moshlem has been leading the restoration of the Dhaka Gate since last May. He said that there are only a handful of people in the country who have restoration and conservation skills.
"There are some people in Natore. And there are some people in Paharpur in Naogaon district, altogether the number will stand at around 30," he said.
These skills are passed through generations. Moshlem's ancestors used to do this work and he learned it from his father who was taught by his father.
Lal Miah's father Nasir Uddin Mondal was one such worker. He went to Murshidabad at the age of 18 to find work and there he gained conservation skills.
Lal Miah has worked on the conservation of Zamindar palaces, mosques and many other historical monuments. He has also worked on the conservation of the famous Tarash Bhaban or Tarash Palace in Pabna.
He said that not all artisans have the knowledge of doing the work well. His brother worked as a foreman in the Department of Archaeology since the brother was exceptionally skilled as an artisan.
He has taught his 18-year-old son the skills because he wants those to survive even after his death. The young boy can also work as a mason.
Once there were some artisans who lived near the Mainamati Shalban Bihar. However, Lal Miah said they no longer work. Some of them have died while some of them have become old.
"Their children may not have learned restoration work which is why the artisans did not grow in number and gradually vanished," he said.
62-year-old Mohammad Moshlem said that he has been working as a conservation artisan for more than three decades. However, they are also skilled at building concrete structures using sand and cement.
But building materials in ancient times were different so the artisans use powdered brick in place of sand and lime in place of cement during restoration.
In the past, the artisans would use oyster lime but it is hard to get it these days so they use stone lime. They also use molasses, catechu water and areca nut juice to make the structure stronger and more long-lasting.
"If concrete-made buildings last for 100 years, our buildings will last for 500 years," said Mohammad Moshlem.
These artisans also work for the Department of Archaeology and have restored a century-old mosque next to Dhaka Gate.
It will take another month to finish the work on Dhaka Gate.
Moshlem said he met Professor Abu Sayeed M Ahmed around 10 years ago in the capital's Nimtoli area when both were working on an old building on the premises of the Asiatic Society.
From this point on, the duo started to work collaboratively. He and his team have been working with Professor Ahmed. They worked together on a project at the Sonargaon Museum for seven years in a row.
He said that some of his close relatives, who are also artisans, are working in the Khulna area now. One group is working on the Lalbagh Fort. Some are working on the Old Dhaka Central Jail.
Professor Abu Sayeed M Ahmed also said that as work based on lime and powdered brick is decreasing in the country, these craftsmen are now changing their profession for survival. As a result, their restoration and conservation skills are also disappearing.
"There are some craftsmen from Paharpur who can skillfully cut bricks. There are some craftsmen in Natore who are skilled at working on motifs on the surface of walls," said the professor.
This group of artisans has also worked on restoring the Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque in Keraniganj, which won the 'Award of Merit' in the 2021 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
The mosque, which is also known as 'Daroga Masjid,' was constructed by Daroga (Inspector) Aminuddin Ahmed in 1868.
They also worked on the Boro Sardar Bari in Sonargaon and restored the Mughal Hammam Khana, a bathhouse at the Lalbagh Fort in Old Dhaka.
According to Professor Ahmed, these artisans get paid the same as masons although restoration and conservation work require more time.
