Mymensingh

Mymensingh (Bengali: ময়মনসিংহ, romanized: Maẏamanasinha, pronounced [mɔjmɔnʃiŋɦɔ] ^ⓘ) is a metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Brahmaputra River, about 120 km (75 mi) north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north-central Bangladesh. It is the administrative center of Mymensingh District and Mymensingh Division. As of 2022, Mymensingh City Corporation is the 7th largest city in terms of area and the 8th largest in terms of population in the country, with a population of 576,927 people.

The city was constituted by the British East India Company on 1 May 1787. According to Ministry of Public Administration, Mymensingh is ranked 4th in district status. The population density of Mymensingh city is 44,458/km² (115,150/sq mi), making it the second most densely populated city in Bangladesh. Mymensingh attracts 25 percent of all the health tourists visiting Bangladesh. Mymensingh is an anglicization of the name Momen Singh, referring to a Muslim ruler called Shah Momin or Momin Singh, an ethnic Bengali Muslim ruler. Its elevation is over 19 m above sea level, the highest of Bangladesh's major cities. Mymensingh is located near Tura, a city in Meghalaya, accessible through the Gobrakura Land Port.

The city is associated with the Old Brahmaputra river, the traditional embroidered quilt called Nakshikantha (Bengali: নকশীকাঁথা), and the rural ballad collection Maimansingha Gitika. The cadet college established in Tangail in 1963 was called Momenshahi Cadet College. The city is well-known for educational institutions.

Mymensingh is one of the sixteen old districts of Bangladesh which was constituted by the British East India Company on 1 May 1787. Being more than 220 years old, Mymensingh has a rich cultural and political history. In the beginning, Begunbari was chosen as the headquarters of the district. However, the district headquarters was relocated to Mymensingh when Begunbari devastated by a flash flood. Earlier Mymensingh was called Nasirabad, after Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah. During the British Raj, this district was ruled by Talukdar Zamindars and most of the inhabitants of the town were Hindus, forming 78% of the population in the last census before Partition. However, many Hindu families, including the Talukdar Zamindars left Bangladesh during Partition in 1947. A second spell of exodus took place following the Indo-Pak war of 1965. Many people born and raised Mymensingh have left for West Bengal since the 1960s. The exodus continues albeit at a slower pace.

Muslims began migrating into the town beginning from the early 20th century. The Vidyamoyee Uccha Balika Bidyalaya and Muminunnesa Women's College have played a great role in educating Bengali Muslim women. A majority of first-generation successful Bangladeshi women have attended these schools and colleges, including the first woman justice of the High Court of Bangladesh, Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana. On 1 December 1969, Tangail subdivision was separated from Mymensingh, and District of Tangail was officially formed. Similarly, in 1977, the new district of Jamalpur (including Sherpur) were formed.

The nine-month liberation war of Bangladesh began on March 27, 1971. Mymensingh remained free from the occupation army until April 23, 1971. The Pakistani occupation forces deserted Mymensingh on December 10, and the Mukti Bahini resistance group took over on December 11, just five days ahead of the victory of Dhaka on December 16.

The city has no officially defined geographical limits. Since the 1980s the city has expanded with fast urbanisation. Mymensingh city is clearly marked by the Old Brahmaputra River flowing along its north. Shambhuganj is situated on the other side of the Brahmaputra, connected by the Shambhuganj Bridge District. Other ends of the city are marked respectively by the beginning of the Bangladesh Agricultural University campus, the Mymensingh Medical College, Army cantonment and, finally, Sultanabad, a township built for the followers of Aga Khan. A railway line connecting Dhaka with northern districts, built between 1885 and 1899, passes through the city and divides it into two sides.

The climate of Mymensingh is slightly colder than Dhaka, as it is closer to the Himalayas, and sufficient to be a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) instead of a tropical savanna or tropical monsoon climate as found further south in Bangladesh. The monsoon starts in May or June and continues until August. It rains heavily and sometimes for days and weeks. During the monsoon, the temperature varies between 25 and 31 °C (77.0 and 87.8 °F). The temperature falls below 15 °C (59 °F) in winter which is spread over December and January and may well include November and February. The highest temperature is felt during April–May period, where it may reach as high as 40 °C (104 °F). High humidity causes heavy sweating during this period. For western travelers, the best time to visit is between November and February.