Shahbag is a major neighbourhood and police precinct (thana) in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is also a major public transport hub. It is a junction between two contrasting sections of the city—Old Dhaka and the New Dhaka—which lie, respectively, to its south and north. Developed in the 17th century during Mughal rule in Bengal, when Old Dhaka was the provincial capital and a centre of the flourishing muslin industry, it came to neglect and decay in early 19th century. In the mid-19th century, the Shahbagh area was developed as New Dhaka became a provincial centre of the British Raj, ending a century of decline brought on by the passing of Mughal rule.
Shahbagh is the location of the nation's leading educational and public institutions, including the University of Dhaka, the oldest and largest public university in Bangladesh, Dhaka Medical College, the largest medical college in the country, Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the largest public university for technological studies in the country. Shahbagh hosts many street markets and bazaars. Since Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971, the Shahbagh area has become a venue for celebrating major festivals, such as the Bengali New Year and Basanta Utsab.
