Rayer Bazaar is a well-known thoroughfare in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It is generally regarded as one of the historical areas of the city.Rayer Bazaar was founded during the colonial period most probably in 19th century. It was the potters who first started to live here beside the Turag River. This Place was most probably named after someone titled Ray. It was easy to find the clays used to make pots in this area and spread it around by boats as it was situated near the river. [1]
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Rayer Bazaar Bodhdhobhumi is located in Mohammadpur near Beribadh area in Dhaka District. [2] This area is mainly an extension of the Turag River. The Martyred Intellectuals Memorial was established here in 14th December, 1993 by ex Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
During the Mughal period this place was famous for pottery and most of the potters of this region used to live in Rayer Bazar, because the famous “lal mati” was available in this place a lot. During the Mughal and British Colonial period, the red clay was not available in the neighborhoods. As a result, the Potters of Rayer Bazar have a long tradition of working with this red clay. [3] According to Dr. Wise, this place was known as “Kumartoli” during the Mughal period. [4]
“Rayer Bazar will remain in our memories, in our history for another reason. In the night of 14 December 1971, many of Bangladesh’s intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artists, engineers, and writers were rounded up in Dhaka. They were taken blindfolded to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different sections of the city. Later they were executed and thrown out in the swamps, at Rayerbazar.
In memory of the martyred intellectuals of 1971, a Memorial is created in there. The ‘Al-Badr’ and ‘Al-Shams’ Group helped the West Pakistani Army to locate the intellectuals and slaughtered them and many other innocent peoples at night. After the massacre they brought the corpses and left them into the swamps of Rayer Bazaar. After the Liberation War, the people of Dhaka found out that all the dead bodies of many great intellectuals and innocent people are piled up in here.”[5] Martyred Intellectuals Memorial is the memorial built for the memory of the martyred intellectuals of 1971. The memorial is built in the Boddhobhumi at Rayer Bazaar.
This is the place where thousands of civilian were killed by Pakistani Army during 1971 Independence War. Boddho Bhumi Smriti Soudha (Slaughter-Place Memorial) was built to commemorate the death of some of the nation's finest intellectuals and others, who were killed at the very end of the war of liberation (1971) by the Pakistani army with the help of their collaborators at Rayer Bazaar brick field of Dhaka. The memorial edifice was constructed at the place where the mass killing took place. Among the people killed indiscriminately were educationists, physicians, journalists, writers, film directors and other professionals [7]
The Memorial, located at Rayer bazaar, Mohammadpur Thana in Dhaka, was designed by architect Farid Uddin Ahmed and architect Zami Al Shafi. [8] The broken wall and the black tombs are the main elements of the memorial.[9] Rayer Bazar Boddhobhumi has changed a lot since the 19th century. “The whole area is overcrowded.” [10] Most of the houses in Rayer Bazaar are mainly two storied and all of the houses are pretty much old. The place isn’t the same as it was during the Mughal period but the ancient old pottery tradition is still present there.
Rayer Bazaar has become a densely populated area at present. The area has mainly become a slum. The area is heavily polluted and living standard is very much low in this area. “The old pottery tradition is almost over. We can hardly find two or three potters in here”. The tannery at Hajaribaag near the Rayer Bazaar Boddhobhumi is one of the main reasons for polluting the area. The overgrowth of population has even created severe water problem in this area.