Cite this article
Ahmed, S., Das, R. (2025) ‘Case study of Ahsan Manzil and Gol Talab: Assessment of public opinion to access the possibilities of heritage trail in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh’, Architecture Papers of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU, 30(2), pp. 20-30. https://www.doi.org/10.2478/alfa-2025-0010
SUMMARY
This paper examines the edifice of Ahsan Manzil from colonial Old Dhaka, Bangladesh, as a case study. Being the first successful conservation project of the country, this project might open lots of criticism to guide future heritage trail development in the historic city of Dhaka, where public awareness is absent and government policies are obsolete or ignorant. Methodologically, extensive literature reviews were given priority to understand the state of the art and were evaluated under thematic analysis for heritage study, ideal authenticity according to world heritage standards. Then, an extensive field survey followed to grasp the public behaviour. The research findings will primarily focus on the preservation and safeguarding of the surrounding of other dilapidated heritage sites, which are considered elements of valuable cultural and historical significance of the Dhaka city’s kernel, especially when the city is suffering from rapid urbanization and other threatening forces for heritage demolition. The fundamental goal of this research is to depict attempts to investigate and evaluate many competing hypotheses from an unbiased platform concerning the comprehensive conservation process. The study will analyse the survey thoroughly to gain a well-desired ‘heritage trail’ for Old Dhaka. The findings of this research will try to restate public opinion through socially equitable and investigable empirical analysis of opinions from respondents and scholars’ opinions. Heritage conservation is a prerequisite to ensure proper management of culture, tradition, and history from generation to generation, where Dhaka city is rich with various forms of cultural, natural, and religious forms of heritage. Promoting heritage conservation, especially in urban areas, is a challenging task in a third-world context like Bangladesh. Because it does not only mean preserving heritage structures but also promoting awareness, raising the sense of ownership, spontaneous participation, and maintaining traditions and the heritage for the future generation(s), coordination and integrated decision-making are essential. And above all, involve urban ecology to regain its natural and local context. Engagement of government and institutions can enhance community awareness and participation. Stockholders of government, like the ministry of culture, the department of archaeology, NGOs, policymakers from different sectors, and civil society, should work hand in hand. Furthermore, in tourism-based heritage conservation, the establishment of heritage archives can contribute to heritage promotion and conservation. Both environments and structures having historical significance can be used for community inclusion, drawing tourists, and as such they need better upkeep. On the other hand, the revised master plan for Dhaka prioritizing heritage and community-based monitoring cells may help protect heritage structures and areas from illegal embezzlement, while the percentage of greenery can easily fit the question of ‘local and natural context’ for ecological purification. To overcome the knowledge gap and help the upcoming generation learn about their inherent heritage, universities should offer more courses on heritage, and secondary school curriculum should include heritage chapters. For the public to emotionally engage with heritage and comprehend its significance and worth, heritage interpretation is crucial. It takes more than awareness, upkeep, and prevention to attain sustainability.