The Puran Dhaka locality of Narinda is no ordinary area. It is home to the oldest surviving mosque in the capital: Binat Bibi’s Mosque. Established in around 1456, it stands as a strong reminder that Dhaka is much older than just 400 years as some people think.

Our city dates back to pre-Mughal times; and Narinda, with this mosque, is a testament to that.

The area is historically important for commerce. To illustrate, the pages of history shows that the English had established a factory here in circa 1735.

But the twist is that the name Narinda is technically not original, even though we have heard our fathers and grandfathers call it Narinda.

Once upon a time, Narinda was called Narayandiah, meaning, island of the Narayan deity! Over time, this evolved into Narinda, sort of a distortion of the old name Narayandiah!

Sources- "Dacca: History and Romance in Place Names" by Azimusshan Haider; “Notes on the Antiquities of Dacca" by Sayid Aulad Hasan.