Mir Mosharrof Hossain Memorial Museum

The Museum was established in 1913 is a four storied building with forty galleries under its 4 departments of natural history, History and Classical Art, Ethnography and decorative art and Contemporary art and World civilization.

The museum has a vast and elaborate collection of old coins, books on art, ivory and silver filigree works, images made with metal, many textiles including the famed Muslin fabric and Nakshi Kantha, arms and ammunitions from the Mughal time, series of painting and sculptures dating back to the Buddhist and Muslim period, handicrafts and models of the village and city life and most importantly- priceless articles of the liberation war of Bangladesh which signifies the backbone of the history of Bangladesh can be found there.

The ground floor consists of some old guns at the entrance and the hall where the people book their tickets or assemble to hear the history of the museum. The hall leads to a grand staircase. Beside the hall, there is a smaller room which also acts like the hall (it is also used by the guides to tell the visitors about the history) and a simple staircase.

১৯১৩ সালে একটি চারতলা ভবনে এই জাদুঘরটি প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয়। এখানে প্রকৃতির ইতিহাস, বিশ্বসভ্যতা, মানবজাতির বিবর্তন, সমসাময়িক চিত্রকর্ম সহ বিভিন্ন বিভাগে মোট চল্লিশটি গ্যালারি রয়েছে।

জাদুঘরের বিশাল সংগ্রহের মধ্যে রয়েছেঃ প্রাচীনমুদ্রা, শিল্পকর্ম, রুপার গয়না, হাতিরদাঁত, নকশীকাঁথা ও বিখ্যাত মসলিন কাপড়, মুঘল আমলের অস্ত্র ও গোলাবারুদ, বৌদ্ধ এবং মুসলিম শাসনামলের চিত্রকর্ম এবং মূর্তি, বিষ্ণুমূর্তি, শহর এবং গ্রামের জীবনযাত্রার বিন্যাস, গ্রামবাংলার হাতেরকাজ, বাংলাদেশের মহান মুক্তিযুদ্ধের অমূল্য স্মারক ও দলিল সহ বহু মূল্যবান এবং দুর্লভ জিনিস।

জাদুঘরের মূল ভবনে প্রবেশের ঠিক আগেই (যেখানে দর্শনার্থীরা জাদুঘরের ইতিহাস শুনতে জড়ো হন) এবং প্রবেশের সাথে সাথে হলরুমে বেশকিছু প্রাচীন কামান চোখে পরবে। জাদুঘরে প্রবেশের পর হল রুম অতিক্রম করে বিভিন্ন তলায় যাওয়ার জন্য সিঁড়ি দেখতে পাবেন। জাদুঘরের বিভিন্ন গ্যালারির পাশাপাশি একটি ছোট কক্ষও রয়েছে যেখানে গাইডরা দর্শনার্থীদের ইতিহাস সম্পর্কে বর্ণনা করে থাকেন।

Currency Museum is located at Mirpur beside Bangladesh Bank Training Academy. This project is taken regarding the enlargement of the currency museum into money museum. The country’s eminent artists, architects and historians have worked together for the museum along with the central bank to make it launch.

Museum authority has collected local and foreign coins and banknotes in different ways to enrich this museum. The museum has now thousands of coins and notes from the Pala, Sena, Gupta, Sultani, Mughal and British periods. About 2500 coins and notes found in Wari-Bateshwar of Narsingdi will be reserved in this Museum. Bangladesh Numismatic Collectors’ Society handed over 100 coins of different eras to the Currency Museum of Bangladesh Bank.

The historically significant deposited coins included 48 of the Alauddin Hossain Shah era, 29 of Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah, four of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, five of Sikandar Shah, three of Giasuddin Azam Shah, three of Rukunuddin Barbak Shah, two of Nasiruddin Mahmud, one of Mahmud Shah, one of Shahjahan, two of Badsha Alamgir , one of Islam Shah and one of the Shah Alam era.

A museum, first of its kind in Bangladesh, will help young people to know about the currency’s history and its evolution. Not only the history of Money, this museum will also help people to get acquainted with the lifestyle, education, culture and various aspects of archaeological evolution of human civilization through coins and currencies of different eras.

It showcases coins and banknotes, which are witnesses to history, to uphold the history and heritage before the present and future generations. Efforts are already on to collect old coins and install digital signage, touch screens, LCD monitors etc to equip the ‘Taka Museum’ into a modern, prosperous, state of the art, rich in information and technology-based museum.It has been established with modern technology to attract visitors.

The Governor, Expressed his appreciation in people of the society who are coming forward to enrich the collections of the Taka Museum of the bank, Dr Atiur Rahman said those institutions and individuals who would handover old coins as presents to the museum would be gladly accepted and the presenters would be properly recognized.

Background History: A currency museum was set up in the Bangladesh Bank in 2009, which was displaying currencies of almost all countries of the world. Initiatives had been taken to expand this museum to open the 'Taka Jadhughar’. At the end, the central bank's existing currency museum is being restructured as the 'Taka Jadughar'. The restructuring of the 'Taka Jadhughar' took place on the premises of Bangladesh Bank Training Institute at Mirpur. Along with this, the central bank is collecting obsolete coins and banknotes to exhibit in the gallery.

Bangladesh Air Force Museum became open for the public on October 2014 at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargaon, Dhaka. It is located at the western side of runway adjacent to Taltola gate. Within its lofty interior, different phased out air craft and equipment have been kept including the aircraft those took part in our glorious Liberation War.

The Gallery:There are four different galleries. These are: Air Force Gallery to illustrate some memorable and historical photos. Liberation War Gallery: bring back to us the history of the liberation war. There is a gallery for showing medals and uniforms from different year. The last one is the peacekeepers corner to demonstrate the value of Bangladeshi Soldiers in the International Arena. Apart from these there is a souvenir corner too where you can buy posters, mug, t-shirts with the monogram of the National Air Force.

The previous history of BAF Museum: BAF Museum was established in 17 June 1987. At that time the museum was located in No-3 hanger of BAF Base Bashar, Dhaka cantonment. It was not open for public as we knew, just like the prison museum situated inside the Dhaka Central Jail. Once in a year on 16th December, there was a Military March held along with a three days long Army Weaponry Show. But now it is open for the public visitor. People are already started enjoying the place.

Here is the link of the official website of BAF Museum: http://www.bafmuseum.mil.bd/