Archaeological site, Narayanganj
Panam Nagarপানাম নগর
- Time needed
- One to two hours.
- best months
- Nov–Feb
- Cost
- Small entry ticket.
A single street of decaying merchants' houses in old Sonargaon, two storeys of arches, cast iron and coloured plaster, mostly from the 19th-century cotton-trade revival.
At a glance
- Buildings
- About fifty along one street
- Era
- Mostly 19th century
About
Panam was one of the three towns of old Sonargaon, and its story goes back to the sultanate. What stands today is younger: rich Hindu cloth merchants rebuilt the street in the 1800s, and most of them left after 1947 and 1964, leaving the houses empty.
About fifty buildings line both sides of a lane a few hundred metres long, with canals behind them. The Archaeology Department protects the site; some houses are propped up, and you look at them from the street.
It is a short walk north of the folk art museum, so the two make one visit.
Getting there: From Mograpara on the highway by rickshaw or auto, about 15 minutes.
Things to do
- Walk the whole street and look up at the ironwork balconies.
Good to know
- Do not climb into the houses; several are unsafe.
- Come in the morning before the weekend crowds.
