Old Dhaka (Bengali: পুরান ঢাকা, romanized: Puran Dhaka) is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar (Bengali: জাহাঙ্গীরনগর, romanized: Jahangirnogor, lit. 'City of Jahangir'), the capital of Mughal Province of Bengal and named after the Mughal emperor Jahangir. It is located on the banks of the Buriganga River. It was one of the largest and most prosperous cities of the Indian subcontinent and the center of the worldwide muslin trade. The then Nawab of Bengal Murshid Quli Khan shifted the capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad in the early-18th century. With the rise of Calcutta (now Kolkata) during the British rule, Dhaka began to decline and came to be known as the "City of Magnificent Ruins". The British however began to develop the modern city from the mid-19th century.
old Dhaka is famous for its variety of foods and amicable living of people of all religions in harmony. The main Muslim festivals celebrated with funfair here are Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha and Ashura, Hindu festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja, and Saraswati Puja are also celebrated with enthusiasm. The festivals which are celebrated by all religious communities with much splendor include Shakrain (পৌষ সংক্রান্তি), Pohela Falgun, and Halkhata (হালখাতা). Religion-wise, the old Dhaka is predominantly Muslim, while a significant number of Hindus also reside here. Christians and Buddhists are also inhabitants here in small numbers. Its inhabitants are known as Dhakaiya and converse in the Dhakaiya Kutti, a dialect of Bengali and Dhakaiya Urdu, a dialect of Urdu.
The existence of a settlement in the area that is now Dhaka dates from the 7th century. The city area was ruled by the Buddhist kingdom of Kamarupa and the Pala Empire before passing to the control of the Hindu Sena dynasty in the 9th century. The name of the town may have derived after the establishment of the Goddess Dhakeshvari's temple by Ballal Sena in the 12th century.
