How did Karwan Bazar get its name?

We usually do not associate Karwan Bazar with the history or heritage of Dhaka. Instead, Karwan Bazar only brings to mind a crowded wholesale market.

But in reality,amidst its bargains and busyness, Karwan Bazar hides in plain sight a segment of the capital's history.

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To illustrate, there is a Mughal-era mosque in the locality, which was built in 1680, during the era of Nawab Shaista Khan.

The area's history runs deep. Once upon a time, there was a caravanserai here — a traveller's lodge of the olden times.

Centuries ago, there used to be several such caravanserais in our city, where travellers and traders from faraway could stay, eat, and take rest.

Once such caravanserai was in Karwan Bazar. The word "caravanserai" became distorted to "karwan" and that eventually gave rise to the area's name today, Karwan Bazar! 

Sources: "Notes on the Antiquities of Dacca" by Sayid Aulad Hasan; "Kingbodontir Dhaka" by Nazir Hossain