Gulshan, Dhaka

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Gulshan Thana

Gulshan Thana (By towns)
Administration
Wards	72, 73, 74
Parliamentary Seat	Dhaka 5 (Gulshan-Dhaka Cantonment)
Municipalty	Dhaka
Coordinates	23°48' N, 90°25' E
RAB Area	RAB 1
Information
Gulshan lake view (2005)
Established	1972*
Area	17 km2*
Population	212,000*
HQ	Gulshan Circle 2
Neighboring Thanas	Kafrul, Badda, Tejgaon, Khilgaon, Dhaka Cantonment*
Website	[1]
* Dhaka Metroplitan Police data

Gulshan (Bengali: গুলশান) is arguably the most posh and luxurious area of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It is also the name of a neighborhood in Karachi, Pakistan, and an Indian restaurant in Swansea, UK and also in Fleet, Hampshire (UK).

Contents 1 History 2 Geography & Demography 3 Features 4 Diplomatic Missions 5 Footnotes 6 External links

[edit] History

Gulshan was founded as a planned model town in 1961 with its own Pourashabha (municipal corporation), while the neighboring Banani Model Town was founded in 1964. Gulshan Thana was established in 1972. Gulshan Pourashabha was abolished in 1982.^[1] The area was originally built with the purpose of being solely residential, however, over the years many commercial buildings have been set up. The celebrated scenic view of the area, dominated by the Gulshan Lake, is detoriating.^[2] The reason often stated is a lack of urban planning.^[3]

[edit] Geography & Demography

The Gulshan thana comprises of an area of 16.88 sq.km. consisting of three wards (72, 73 and 74), 37 mouzas and 20 villages, including Gulshan Model Town, consisting of Gulshan circle 1 and circle 2, Banani Model Town, Baridhara Diplomatic Zone, and Mohakhali. 50% of the area is residential, 20% commercial, and 12% is diplomatic area. 18% land in Gulshan consists of other areas, including slums, of which the biggest is the Karail slum. Gulshan has a population of about 212,000 (Male 54.95%; female 45.05%). 21.59% of residents are occupied with commerce, while 40.92% are service professionals.

93.65% of the Gulshan population are Muslims. It features a few churches and Christian missions, including that of the Missionaries of Charity.

[edit] Features

Many of Dhakas richest reside in Gulshan, an area full of high-rise buildings, posh restaurants lavish residential areas, modern markets and ice-cream parlors which keep open past midnight. The area featres many international brand eateries and clothes shops, branches of multinational companies operating in Bangladesh, as well a plethora of foregin diplomatic missions.^[4]

There are some 45 markets, bazaars and shopping centres in Gulshan. Most notable are Gulshan Shopping Centre, Navana Shopping Centre, Banani Bazar, DCC Market I, DCC Market II, Alam Market, Shahzadpur Bazar, and Iqbal Centre. There also are mega-stores like Nandan, Agora, Aarong, Shoppers World and ABC Shopping Complex.

The area hosts Gulshan Club, the American Club, American Marine Club and other elite clubs. It also features Wonder Land, a children's theme park. There are quite a few hospitals, as well as the headquarters of ICDDR-B.

[edit] Diplomatic Missions

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Ghafur, Shayer. "The Future of Gulshan South Park", Daily Star, 2006-04-21. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
2. ^ Islam, Kajalie Shehreen. "The Death of Dhaka's Posh Spots", Daily Star, 2005-07-16. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
3. ^ Hasan, J.. "Residential areas losing their character to commercialisation", Weekly Holiday, 2002-10-05. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
4. ^ Patricia, Ovemarrie. "The TIME magazine cover story, Rescue Mission", Express Press Release, 2006-04-09. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.

[edit] External links

• Embassy World
• Gulshan Thana in Banglapedia

Coordinates: 23°48′N 90°25′E