Lalbagh Fort

Lalbagh Fort is an unfinished Mughal fortress on the Buriganga river in Old Dhaka, begun in 1678 by Prince Muhammad Azam during his brief viceroyalty of Bengal. When Emperor Aurangzeb recalled him after 15 months, Subadar Shaista Khan inherited the project but abandoned it after his daughter Pari Bibi died here, considering the site cursed. Her white marble tomb with blue-tile inlay sits at the courtyard centre and remains the fort's emotional anchor. Visitors today wander three main buildings, terraced gardens with a fountain canal, and the original hammam, plus a small museum of Mughal weapons and Persian calligraphy. In late afternoon the sandstone walls glow warmly, and the contrast with bustling Old Dhaka just outside is striking.