After finishing my last leg of India in Kolkata, I took a flight to major city #53 Dhaka on the project. At first sight, Dhaka is the densest, worst traffic, fastest growing city in the world. That can be an overwhelming first impression, but if you’re willing to explore underneath all that chaos, you’ll find one interesting city full of charm. While not the easiest city to just jump into as a traveler, the people are as friendly as you’ll find anywhere, and you’ll find them everywhere. No matter where you are in Dhaka, there’s something going on. Filled with chaotic streets, markets, old world atmosphere, history, spirituality, and energy, you can’t get bored in Dhaka. It also happened to have the most welcoming photography community I’ve ever met, which really made my first experience what it was.
So here are my first impressions of Dhaka, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
7 First Impressions of Dhaka
(From a Street Photography Perspective)
1. Dense and chaotic
By some measurements, Dhaka is not only the most densely populated city in the world, but also the fastest growing. It definitely feels that way too. People are everywhere. Not just in the busy markets streets or city center, but in any street or neighborhood around Dhaka. I stayed far from the center, but it didn’t matter because I could have just explored my surrounding neighborhoods and had plenty of activity to capture. I talk about traffic in the next section, but foot traffic fills the streets and alleys too around every corner. It’s hard not to compare Dhaka to many of India’s larger cities because there are similarities in the atmosphere, and the street life is one of them. People live outside and there’s enough people in Dhaka to make that outside life very chaotic. You won’t usually have much room to shoot, but you’ll have endless layers and interest to attempt to organize.
2. Traffic is the worst I’ve ever seen (and that’s saying something)
Dhaka, without question, has the worst traffic I’ve ever seen. People from big cities love to complain about their traffic, but I guarantee their city has nothing on this one. It’s no secret, though, as Dhaka has become known for it. As mentioned before, Dhaka is the most densely populated city in the world and the fastest growing. Combine that with a severely lacking transportation system and only 7 percent of the city covered by roads, it gives plenty of reason for all the traffic. Still, it doesn’t make it any less astonishing how slow it moves.
Not only does all that traffic add to Dhaka’s atmosphere, but it also means you really have to prepare your day around it and include many hours for traffic. The long layout of the city doesn’t help, either, making places further apart. While there’s not too much you can do about it, leaving early in the morning is the best advice. Traffic doesn’t reach its norm until a little later in the morning so at least you can beat some of it. When it’s time to go back home, though, you’ll just have to deal with it. The Dhaka heat mixed with hours in a vehicle can at least help you catch some sleep.
3. Old Dhaka
Old Dhaka is the heart of the city’s chaos and character. It doesn’t feel like too much has changed over the centuries here with an atmosphere of crumbling homes, historic winding lanes and endless crowds of people. It’s extremely easy to got lost and you’ll find maps or navigation won’t help you out much, so getting lost is just what to do here. There’s a lot of area to explore too, with rickshaws being the transportation here if you don’t always want to walk.
The busiest, and most interesting area for me is by the Sadarghat. The Burgiganga river here at the Port of Dhaka is a sight to see, filled with a variety of boats, from small wooden rowboats to giant ferries. On the banks, the streets are even more crowded with porters unpacking produce and markets selling them. Sometimes you can’t even move here, but in the more open spaces it provides a very unique atmosphere. One that I picture in my memory of Dhaka as much as any place.
Shankharia Bazar, also called Hindu Street, is another recommended spot to check out in Old Dhaka for a different charm, more reminiscent of India. There’s also a district named Armanitola, where early colonial Armenians settlers came. Old Dhaka has plenty more spots to check out, but its best to just randomly find them on your own. It’s chaos and character around every corner with a very local feeling for street photography.
4. Keraniganj Shipyard was one of my favorite spots for uniqueness and color
On the outside of Dhaka, just across the River Buriganga, you’ll find the Keraniganj Shipyard. This ended up being my favorite spot in Dhaka for photography. I like unique places that you don’t find in other cities and this definitely fit in that category. Around 15,000 workers are employed here, either busy breaking down gigantic shipping vessels or building them. Welding torches and hammers are seen and heard everywhere while you navigate through the obstacle course of ships and alleys. Many of the large ships are colorful, which when mixed with sunlight can create some interesting shadow and color play in photos.
You should be respectful and careful where you walk due to all the work being done, but everyone is very friendly towards anyone coming to photograph. It’s a unique and fun place to explore with your camera. And an added bonus is the wooden boat ride you get to take crossing the river. These rowboats give you a different perspective of the city, while navigating across the busy port.
5. Dhaka brings the heat, but not always the light.
Even when Dhaka gets hot, and it gets real hot, it doesn’t always mean you’ll get much sun. Dhaka can bring a lot of clouds and haze due to the climate and pollution. This combines to take the light down quite a bit at times. The sun did come out while I was there, but I’d say around only 20% of the time, which I was told isn’t out of the norm in Dhaka. You might notice that flash is popular with some of the well-known street photographers in Dhaka, and that’s partly because it can come in handy to combat the bad light Dhaka can have.
Kamalapur Railway Station can be a good place to head when the clouds turn to rain, though, as it provides cover while still being outside with some light. It also can get pretty active and supply a variety of interest. Many of the local street photographers like to head there often. Dhaka’s light is just something to keep in mind when out shooting, as it doesn’t always cooperate like you might expect from such a hot climate.
6. Kawran Bazaar is another nice spot
Karwan Bazar is a business and commercial district in Dhaka, but it’s also home to one of the largest wholesale markets not only in Dhaka, but all of South Asia. The wholesale fruit and vegetable sections are some of the most chaotic and interesting, but you can explore this large area of market life for hours. With over one thousand shops in and around the market, you can find an endless variety of goods for sale too. Every night hundreds of trucks come to unload items for the day. It’s messy, busy and crowded with activity packing the streets, but it’s what makes Dhaka a special place. Nearby, you’ll also find the train tracks, which are lined with more life, including more street sellers. Walking the tracks here makes for an enjoyable atmosphere too. The best time to explore this area of Karwan Bazar is early in the morning, though, when the action is really going.
7. Great photography community and the most welcoming experience to date
I have to mention how my impressions of Dhaka were more influenced by the people than any other city I’ve been to. Bangladesh has gained a very strong passion for photography and it’s filled with photographers. The passion for photography currently seen here honestly rivals any place in the world, in my experience. More specifically, the street photography community has become strong recently too so I had many connections in the city. More than that, though, they were eager to welcome me to their city and show me all they could.
Md. Imam Hasan and Shah Toufiqur Rahman were there to pick me up at the airport as soon as I arrived, definitely a first during my project. And from there, it was non-stop love from them and other street photographers in Dhaka. Md. Enamul Kabir, along with Md. Imam Hasan, asked me to do an Artist Talk and set it up through the Insight Collective and Sony, which was a great experience getting to meet so many different local photographers. Every day there, though, Md. Imam Hasan, was there to show me around, joined with others included below. It was an experience I’ll never forget and truly blew me away.
Many thanks to all of them. So, be sure to check out these talented local photographers below who I now can also call my friends:
If any of you have been to Dhaka before, tell me about your experience and impressions of the city and country in the comments below! And stay tuned for more on Dhaka, including some of the best Street Photography shots I captured while there.
Click Here for More First Impressions on Cities Around the World
(from a street photographer’s perspective)
That is awesome that the locals took you around while in the city. I can see how that must have been great fun, especially since you are on a journey that can be lonely at times. Mohammad Imam Hasan is one of my favorites.
Hi, Jeff. Yes, it was great getting to know all of them, especially when most of the time I’m completely wrapped up in the project, which takes its toll. Imam is great, photographer and person. Cheers!