Mughal Rule
Around 1550 a Portuguese historian, João de Barros, first inserted Dhaka into the map in his book Décadas da Ásia (Decades of Asia).
During the reign of Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605), Dhaka was referred as a Thana (a military outpost). Dhaka was situated in Bhati region which hosted several rebel forces led by Bara-Bhuiyans from mid to late 16th century. After the leader of Bara-Bhuiyans, Musa Khan, was subdued by Mughal General Islam Khan Chisti in 1610, Dhaka went directly under control of Mughals. Being newly appointed Governor of Bengal, Islam Khan transferred the Bengal capital from Rajmahal to Dhaka in order to crush further rebel uprisings. He also renamed Dhaka as Jahangirnagar (City of Jahangir); Jahangir was the Mughal Emperor at that time. Due to its location right beside some main river routes, Dhaka was an important center for business. The Muslin fabric was produced and traded in this area.
As the next governor, Prince Shuja built Bara Katra between 1644 and 1646 in Dhaka to serve as his official residence. In late 1640s, for personal and political reasons, he shifted the capital back to Rajmahal. Dhaka became a subordinate station. Due to political turmoil, Emperor Aurangzeb sent Mir Jumla to deal with Prince Shuja. He pursued Shuja up to Dhaka and reached the city on 9 May 1660. But Shuja fled to Arakan region. Jumla was ordered to become the next Governor of Bengal. Dhaka was again made the headquarter of the region. Construction of Lalbagh Fort was commenced in 1678 CE by Prince Muhammad Azam during his 15-month long vice-royalty of Bengal, but before the work could complete, he was recalled by Emperor Aurangzeb.
The largest expansion of the city took place under the next Mughal governor Shaista Khan (1664–1688). The city then stretched for 12 miles in length and 8 miles in breadth and is believed to have had a population of nearly a million people. The Chawk Mosque, Babubazar Mosque, Sat Gumbad Mosque, Choto Katra were originally built during this period. He also built tombs of Bibi Pari, Bibi Champa and Dara Begum. A French traveller, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, arrived Dhaka on 13 January 1666 and met Shaista Khan. He referred Shaista Khan as "the uncle of King Aurangzeb and the cleverest man in all his kingdom".
Prince Azim-ush-Shan became the Governor of Bengal in 1697. Due to conflict with Diwan Murshid Quli Khan, he shifted his office from Dhaka to Patna in 1703. Murshid Khan also shifted his office to Mauksusabad (later renamed it to Murshidabad).
Read more about this topic: History Of Dhaka
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