Ninth International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

The study acknowledges the architectural and urbanisation patterns during the Mughal rule in Bengal, focusing on the construction of river forts, bridges, road networks, and religious space-based markets to control waterways and protect Dhaka from pirates which declined its maritime trade. Today, unlike the Western world, Bangladesh’s preservation of such historic buildings faces challenges due to a lack of public awareness and support, with heritage protection laws often overlooking context, values, and history, resulting in an inadequate and less prioritised impact of heritage and regional identity. To showcase the Mughal river forts with identified problems, this paper presents two selective case studies: Sonakanda fort and Hajiganj fort. The middle section of the paper discusses the context of the area, local urban identity, and historic relevance in order to define the scope of the study. Next, comparisons for heritage protection were made between Bangladesh’s current legal framework and the global standard for discussion. Additionally, in order to address and reconcile these real-life gaps, adequate public opinion was embraced. Eventually, a few suggestions were explored about urban tourism for upgrading of those antiquated historical regulations and the safeguarding of urban heritage structures, the majority of which are in jeopardy because of the rapid urbanisation tendency and environmental pollution.