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Main article: History of Chittagong
A Dutch map in 1638 showing Bengal, Chittagong and Arakan
Dutch VOC ships in Chittagong, 1702
Stone Age fossils and tools unearthed in the region indicate that Chittagong has been inhabited since Neolithic times. It is an ancient port city, with a recorded history dating back to the 4th century BC. Its harbour was mentioned in Ptolemy's world map in the 2nd century as one of the most impressive ports in the East. The region was part of the ancient Bengali Samatata and Harikela kingdoms. The Chandra dynasty once dominated the area and was followed by the Varman dynasty and Deva dynasty.
Chinese traveller Xuanzang described the area as "a sleeping beauty rising from mist and water" in the 7th century.
Many Sufi missionaries settled in Chittagong and played an instrumental role in the spread of Islam.
Sultan Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah of Sonargaon conquered Chittagong in 1340, making it a part of Sultanate of Bengal. It was the principal maritime gateway to the kingdom, which was reputed as one of the wealthiest states in the Indian subcontinent. Medieval Chittagong was a hub for maritime trade with China, Sumatra, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and East Africa. It was notable for its medieval trades in pearls, silk, muslin, rice, bullion, horses, and gunpowder. The port was also a major shipbuilding hub.
Ibn Battuta visited the port city in 1345. Niccolò de' Conti, from Venice, also visited around the same time as Battuta. Chinese admiral Zheng He's treasure fleet anchored in Chittagong during imperial missions to the Sultanate of Bengal.
Dhaniya Manikya conquered Chittagong in 1513. Hossain Shah sent his noble commander Gorai Mallik to attack Tripura. Gorai Mallik recaptured the territories lost. But the following year Dhaniya Manikya again conquered Chittagong. In 1516, Husain Shah decided to conquer Chittagong again. Husain assigned the charge of the land army for conquest of Chittagong to his general Paragal Khan; prince Nasrat, who was made crown prince of Bengal in 1515, was placed in overall command. On Nasrat's order, Paragal Khan advanced from his base on the Feni River. The territory up to the western bank of Kaladan river was placed under his governorship's administration. The hostilities probably ended in 1516, when Mrauk U recognized Bengali sovereignty over Chittagong and northern Arakan. As a result of the conflict, Mrauk U again became a vassal of the Bengal Sultanate. Nasrat renamed Chittagong to Fatehabad, City of Victory. A locality of Chittagong named Nasirabad is named after him. Bengali conquest of Chittagong is also corroborated by Portuguese adventurer Joao de Silvera who, landing in Chittagong in 1517, stated that Chittagong was a part of Bengal Sultanate.
The Arakanese ruled over Chittagong spanned from the late 16th century to 1666, marking a significant yet turbulent era in the region's history. The Kingdom of Mrauk U, centered on the west coast of present-day Myanmar, expanded into south-eastern Bengal, with Chittagong becoming a strategic part of its domain. The Arakanese maintained their power through alliances with the Portuguese, who were instrumental in fortifying their control. Chittagong evolved into a centre of trade and piracy during this time, with Portuguese and Arakanese forces frequently raiding Mughal territories. The blending of Bengali, Buddhist, and Portuguese influences made the region a unique cultural and administrative frontier.
The decline of Arakanese rule was triggered by political conflicts, including their involvement in the Mughal succession struggle. The assassination of Mughal prince Shah Shuja in Arakan strained relations with the Mughal Empire, prompting a decisive campaign led by Subahdar Shaista Khan in 1666. The Mughals recaptured Chittagong, ending 70 years circa of Arakanese presence. This period left a lasting legacy on the region, highlighting the interplay of trade, politics, and cultural exchange between Bengal and Arakan.
Chittagong featured prominently in the military history of the Bengal Sultanate, including during the Reconquest of Arakan and the Bengal Sultanate–Kingdom of Mrauk U War of 1512–1516.
Painting of Chittagong in 1822
Hilltop mansions and bungalows historically dominated Chittagong's skyline
Ships from Chittagong along the coast of Bengal and Arakan in the northeast Bay of Bengal. Traders from Chittagong played an important role in Arakan and British Burma.
A ship built in Chittagong near the coast of Hong Kong in 1890
During the 13th and 16th centuries, Arabs and Persians heavily colonized the port city of Chittagong, initially arriving for trade and to spread Islam. Most Arab settlers arrived from the trade route between Iraq and Chittagong and were perhaps the prime reason for the spread of Islam to Bangladesh. The first Persian settlers also arrived for trade and religious purposes, with the possible goal of Persianisation as well. Persians and other Iranic peoples have deeply affected the history of the Bengal Sultanate, with Persian being one of the main languages of the Muslim state, as well as also influencing the Chittagonian language and writing scripts.
Two decades after Vasco Da Gama's landing in Calicut, the Bengal Sultanate permitted the Portuguese settlement in Chittagong to be established in 1528. It became the first European colonial enclave in Bengal. The Bengal Sultanate lost control of Chittagong in 1531 after Arakan declared independence and the established Kingdom of Mrauk U. This altered geopolitical landscape allowed the Portuguese unhindered control of Chittagong for over a century.
Portuguese ships from Goa and Malacca began frequenting the port city in the 16th century. The cartaz system was introduced and required all ships in the area to purchase naval trading licenses from the Portuguese settlement. Slave trade and piracy flourished. The nearby island of Sandwip was conquered in 1602. In 1615, the Portuguese Navy defeated a joint Dutch East India Company and Arakanese fleet near the coast of Chittagong.
Colonial architecture in Chittagong
In 1666, the Mughal government of Bengal led by viceroy Shaista Khan moved to retake Chittagong from Portuguese and Arakanese control by launching the Mughal conquest of Chittagong. The Mughals attacked the Arakanese from the jungle with a 6,500-strong army, which was further supported by 288 Mughal naval ships blockading the Chittagong harbor. After three days of battle, the Arakanese surrendered. The Mughals expelled the Portuguese from Chittagong. Mughal rule ushered a new era in the history of Chittagong territory to the southern bank of Kashyapnadi (Kaladan River). The port city was renamed Islamabad. The Grand Trunk Road connected it with North India and Central Asia. Economic growth increased due to an efficient system of land grants for clearing hinterlands for cultivation. The Mughals also contributed to the architecture of the area, including the building of Fort Ander and many mosques. Chittagong was integrated into the prosperous Bengali economy, which also included Orissa and Bihar. Shipbuilding increased dramatically under the Mughal rule, and the Ottoman Sultans had many Ottoman warships built in Chittagong during this period.
In 1685, the British East India Company sent out an expedition under Admiral Nicholson with the instructions to seize and fortify Chittagong on behalf of the English; however, the expedition proved abortive. Two years later, the company's Court of Directors decided to make Chittagong the headquarters of their Bengal trade and sent out a fleet of ten or eleven ships to seize it under Captain Heath. However, after reaching Chittagong in early 1689, the fleet found the city too strongly held and abandoned their attempt at capturing it. The city was possessed by the Nawab of Bengal until 1793 when East India Company took complete control of the former Mughal province of Bengal.
The First Anglo-Burmese War in 1823 threatened the British hold on Chittagong. There were several rebellions against British rule, notably during the Indian rebellion of 1857, when the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies of the 34th Bengal Infantry Regiment revolted and released all prisoners from the city's jail. In a backlash, the rebels were suppressed by the Sylhet Light Infantry.
Arakan was annexed in 1826 and incorporated into the Bengal Presidency. Agriculturalists from Chittagong played a key role in the development of the rice economy in Arakan. The economy of northern Arakan was integrated with the Chittagong economy. During this period, Arakan Division became one of the top rice exporters in the world. Bengalis from Chittagong were vital to the success of Arakan's rice industry.
Railways were introduced in 1865, beginning with the Eastern Bengal Railway connecting Chittagong to Dacca and Calcutta. Chittagong became the main gateway to Eastern Bengal and Assam. In the 1890s, Chittagong became the terminus of Assam Bengal Railway. The hinterland of Chittagong Port covered the tea and jute producing regions of Assam and Bengal, as well as Assam's oil industry. Chittagong was also linked to the crucial oil and gas industry in Burma. Chittagong was a major center of trade with British Burma. It hosted many prominent companies of the British Empire.
The Chittagong armoury raid by Bengali revolutionaries in 1930 was a major event in British India's anti-colonial history.
World War II[edit]
Royal Air Force Thunderbolts lined up at Chittagong in 1944
During World War II, Chittagong became a frontline city in the Southeast Asian Theater. It was a critical air, naval and military base for Allied Forces during the Burma Campaign against Japan. The Imperial Japanese Army Air Force carried out air raids on Chittagong in April and May 1942, in the run-up to the aborted Japanese invasion of Bengal.
After the Battle of Imphal, the tide turned in favour of the Allied Forces. Units of the United States Army Air Forces' 4th Combat Cargo Group were stationed in Chittagong Airfield in 1945. Commonwealth forces included troops from Britain, India, Australia, and New Zealand. The war had major negative impacts on the city, including the growth of refugees and the Great Famine of 1943. Many wealthy Chittagonians profited from wartime commerce.
715 soldiers are buried at the Chittagong War Cemetery, which is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Allied soldiers constitute the bulk of burials in the cemetery. A few Japanese soldiers are also buried. Remembrance Day services are held each year at the cemetery, with diplomats from Commonwealth countries like the UK, Bangladesh, Australia, India and Pakistan, as well as the United States and Japan, usually in attendance.
Modern[edit]
Jamuna Bhaban on Sheikh Mujib Road was home to a chamber of commerce for British businesses.
Port of Chittagong in 1960
The Partition of British India in 1947 made Chittagong the chief port of East Pakistan. By March 1948, the Chittagong harbour became a bustling port for international shipping.[citation needed] The Chittagong Tea Auction was set up in 1949. The port city had branches of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, Burmah Oil (known locally as Burmah Eastern), and the James Finlay shipping business. Wealthy Muslim families from British India and British Burma shifted their corporate headquarters to Chittagong. The Ispahani family shifted the head office of M. M. Ispahani Limited from Calcutta to Chittagong. The Ispahanis also relocated the Eastern Federal Insurance Company from Calcutta to Chittagong. The Ispahanis set up the Victory Jute Mills, the Chittagong Jute Manufacturing Company, and the Pahartali Textile Mills. The Africawala brothers set up the first steel re-rolling mills in Chittagong in 1952, which eventually became BSRM. Banks, shipping companies and insurance firms proliferated the city. Many British-owned businesses in East Pakistan were based in Chittagong. Britain's former flag carrier BOAC operated flights to the city. The Agrabad area emerged as the central business district in the 1950s and 1960s, with many corporate offices. The Ispahani Building and Jamuna Bhaban are some of the corporate buildings from this period. The Karnaphuli Paper Mills were built in 1959. The project to build the Eastern Refinery was started in 1963; and was partly funded by the last Shah of Iran. The Agrabad Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1963. It later became the Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh. The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) was created by the government to promote urban planning; while wealthy families like the Ispahanis contributed to social welfare by setting up schools and hospitals.
The lawyer and industrialist A K Khan, who set up A K Khan & Company in the aftermath of World War II, represented Chittagong in the federal cabinet of East and West Pakistan. However, East Pakistanis complained of a lack of investment in Chittagong in comparison to Karachi in West Pakistan, even though East Pakistan generated more exports and had a larger population. The Awami League demanded that the country's naval headquarters be shifted from Karachi to Chittagong.
During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, which was waged under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Chittagong witnessed heavy fighting between rebel Bengali military regiments and the Pakistan Army. It covered Sector 1 in the Mukti Bahini chain of command. Major Ziaur Rahman was the sector commander. The Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence was broadcast from Kalurghat Radio Station and transmitted internationally through foreign ships in Chittagong Port. Ziaur Rahman and M A Hannan announced the independence declaration from Chittagong. A K Khan drafted the English version of Zia's broadcast. These radio broadcasts began the journey of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, which contributed heavily towards the Liberation. The Pakistani military, and supporting Razakar militias, carried out widespread atrocities against civilians in the city. Mukti Bahini naval commandos drowned several Pakistani warships during Operation Jackpot in August 1971. In December 1971, the Bangladesh Air Force and the Indian Air Force carried out the heavy bombing of facilities occupied by the Pakistani military. A naval blockade was also enforced.
After the war, the Soviet Union offer to clear mines in Chittagong Port at free of cost, while Sweden offered to clear mines in Mongla port. 22 vessels of the Soviet Pacific Fleet sailed from Vladivostok to Chittagong in May 1972. The process of clearing mines in the dense water harbor took nearly a year and claimed the life of Soviet marine Yuri V Redkin. Chittagong soon regained its status as a major port, with cargo tonnage surpassing pre-war levels in 1973. In the immediate aftermath of 1971, many industries were nationalized. But in Chittagong, factories and business properties were given back to their private owners. The Ispahani family had to write only one letter in order to get back all their properties from the Awami League government of Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In free market reforms launched by President Ziaur Rahman in the late 1970s, the city became home to the first export processing zones in Bangladesh. Zia was assassinated during an attempted military coup in Chittagong in 1981. The 1991 Bangladesh cyclone inflicted heavy damage on the city. The Japanese government financed the construction of several heavy industries and an international airport in the 1980s and 1990s. Bangladeshi private sector investments increased since 1991, especially with the formation of the Chittagong Stock Exchange in 1995. A new airport opened in 2000. The port city has been the pivot of Bangladesh's emerging economy in recent years, with the country's rising GDP growth rate. Chittagong has seen several infrastructure projects taken up by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, including the Chittagong Elevated Expressway, the first underwater tunnel in South Asia, the expansion of its port, and new parks, power plants and flyovers.
