Panam Nagar or Panam City is well known as the “Lost City” to Bangladeshis. Historical Panam Nagar is located in Sonargaon police station of Narayanganj district near Dhaka. In the 15th century, Isha Khan established the first capital of Bengal at Sonargaon. This city has been built over an area of about 20 square kilometers of Sonargaon. In 2006, Panama City was included in the list of 100 endangered historical sites of the world prepared by the World Monuments Fund. Panam city is surrounded by Pankhiraj Canal on all four sides. Panthiraj Canal joins the Meghna river called Menikhali river. Meghna river is on the east side of Panam city and Shitalakshaya on the west side. Muslin was exported through this river. There is a huge gate at the entrance of Panam city, this gate was closed at sunset. Even now, no visitor can stay in Panama City after dusk. There is a difference in the construction style of various buildings in Panama City. Every building in this city of the then wealthy class has exquisite craftsmanship and a touch of nobility. There are about 52 buildings on both sides of the road that cuts through the heart of the city. There are 31 buildings on the north side of the main road and 21 on the south side. Some of these buildings have one floor, some have two or three floors. Apart from residential buildings inside the city, there are mosques, churches, temples, monasteries, dance halls, chitrashalas, panthshalas, khajanchikhanas, court rooms, old museums, baths and secret passages. Besides, 400 years old mint house and indigo made by East India Company can be seen here.
What else to see in Panama City
Folk and Handicrafts Museum: Just one kilometer away from Panama City is the Folk and Handicrafts Museum. There is a sculpture of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin at the entrance of Folk and Crafts Museum. The museum has a total of 11 galleries which preserve rare heritage artifacts. The galleries house elaborate wood carvings, masks, boat models, folk musical instruments and burnt clay patterns, jamdani and nakshikantha etc.
Gowaldi Masjid: Gowaldi Masjid can be visited from Gowaldi Masjid with a rickshaw fare of just 15 to 20 taka from Folk and Crafts Museum. Built by Mullah Hijabar Akbar Khan during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah in 1519, Gwaldi Mosque is an attractive place for tourists.
Entry Fee: A ticket of Rs 15 is required to enter Panama City. 30 per person to enter the museum
Tickets must be purchased.
Schedule: The museum is closed every Wednesday and Thursday.
Warning: The buildings are very old and now they are quite dangerous so do not climb any building without following instructions
How to go
From Dhaka’s Gulistan, take an AC bus from Doyel, Swadesh or Borak to Mograpara intersection. Fares for the above buses from Gulistan are Tk 45, Tk 40 and Tk 50 respectively. From Mograpara intersection, you can go to Panam city by taking a battery operated auto or rickshaw for a fare of Tk 20 to Tk 40.