Known for
- 1
A city of saints.
Sylhet grew around the shrine of Shah Jalal, the 14th-century Sufi who came here with his companions, and pilgrims from all over the country still arrive at his dargah and at that of his nephew Shah Paran on the city's eastern edge. Down by the Surma, the Keane Bridge and Ali Amjad's clock tower are the old gateway to the town.
- 2
Rivers out of the Khasi hills.
North of the city the Meghalaya hills drop straight onto the border, and the rivers that leave them run clear over stones: Jaflong on the Piyain, Bisnakandi where the hill folds meet, Sada Pathor's white boulders on the Dhalai, Lalakhal's blue-green Sari. Most are reached by a short boat ride, and all are fullest in the rains.
- 3
Swamp forest and tea.
Ratargul is a freshwater forest that stands in water for half the year, best seen from a small boat between July and October. The tea starts at the airport road: Malnicherra, from 1854, is counted the oldest commercial tea estate in the subcontinent.
Best season
GoodFairJul–Nov
- Urs of Shah Jalal Yearly, by the lunar calendar; the dargah fills with pilgrims
July to October for the rivers and Ratargul: the water is high, green and moving, and the boats run everywhere. November to February is dry and cool, the water clearer but lower (Bisnakandi and Sada Pathor thin out), and the red lilies of Dibir Haor bloom on winter mornings. Heavy rain can close the border roads for a day or two; check before setting out.
Getting there
Air
Dhaka
45 min
To Osmani International Airport, a short ride from the city
Train
Dhaka
7–8 h
Parabat, Jayantika, Upaban or Kalni Express from Kamalapur
Bus
Dhaka
6 h
Day and night coaches on the Dhaka–Sylhet highway
Getting around
Sylhet city
Hire a CNG or car for the day; boats at each ghat
From Dhaka: about 45 minutes by air to Osmani International Airport, a day or night train (Parabat, Jayantika, Upaban, Kalni Express) of about 7 to 8 hours, or buses of about 6 hours. In the district, CNG auto-rickshaws and hired cars leave the city for Jaflong and Lalakhal on the Tamabil road, for Bholaganj and Sada Pathor through Companiganj, and for Ratargul and Bisnakandi through Gowainghat; boats wait at each ghat.
Local food
Shatkora beefMust try
Beef curry soured with the hill citrus
Akhni
Spiced rice cooked with meat
Sylheti cooking is built on the shatkora, a sour, fragrant hill citrus whose rind goes into beef or fish curry. Akhni, a spiced rice cooked with meat, is the dish of festive days, and the city's old restaurants serve rich bhuna with rice for lunch. Fresh haor fish is everywhere in the rains.
Places to see
Monument and memorialAbu Sayeed · CC BY-SA 4.0Ali Amjad's Clock
A small 19th-century clock tower on the Surma bank beside the Keane Bridge, built by the Nawab of Prithimpassa and named after his son.
River, lake and haorAbdul Hadi Chowdhury · CC BY-SA 4.0Bholaganj Sada Pathor
White boulders spread across the Dhalai river where it leaves the hills at Bholaganj, Companiganj, with clear water running between them.
River, lake and haorSyed Sajidul Islam · CC BY-SA 4.0Bisnakandi
A wide bed of stones in Gowainghat where several folds of the Khasi hills meet and a clear stream pours down over them.
River, lake and haorমোঃ খায়রুল ইসলাম · CC BY-SA 4.0Dibir Haor
Four connected beels in Jaintiapur, near the foot of the Meghalaya hills, carpeted with red water lilies on winter mornings.
River, lake and haorAbdul Momin · CC BY-SA 4.0Jaflong
Hills of Meghalaya rising behind a stony river on the border, about 60 km from the city: the best-known day trip in Sylhet.
Monument and memorialShafqat Rabbi · CC BY 2.0Keane Bridge
The old steel bridge over the Surma, the city's gateway from the British era and today a footbridge, best seen at dusk beside Ali Amjad's clock.
River, lake and haorSalim Khandoker · CC BY-SA 4.0Lalakhal
A bend of the Sari river in Jaintiapur famous for its blue-green water, with tea gardens and hill forest on its banks.
Tea gardenShahriar Islam · CC BY-SA 4.0Lovachora
A British-era tea garden on the Lova river at the Kanaighat border, reached by boat past clear water and stony banks.
Tea gardenAdam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0Malnicherra Tea Estate
Rolling tea hills on the airport road, a few minutes from the city: founded in 1854, it is counted the oldest commercial tea estate in the subcontinent.
Waterfallmahady hasan · CC BY 4.0Panthumai Waterfall
A tall waterfall on the Meghalaya hills, seen from a boat on the Piyain at Panthumai village in Gowainghat, right on the border.
Forest and mangroveSumon Mallick · CC BY-SA 4.0Ratargul Swamp Forest
A freshwater swamp forest in Gowainghat where the trees stand in water through the rains: you glide between the trunks in a small wooden boat.
Mosque and shrineAbu Sayeed · CC BY-SA 4.0Shah Jalal Dargah
The shrine of Shah Jalal, the Sufi saint who died in 1346 and is linked with the coming of Islam to Sylhet: the heart of the city and one of the most visited places of pilgrimage in Bangladesh.
Mosque and shrineCAPTAIN RAJU · CC BY-SA 4.0Shah Paran Mazar
The hilltop shrine of Shah Paran, Shah Jalal's nephew and companion, on the eastern edge of the city: the second great place of pilgrimage in Sylhet.
Sources 2
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