Chit-Tout-Gong : Chena Chattagramer Achena Itihas by Harun Rashid [Hardcover]

For at least two thousand years, Chattogram has served as a hub of international trade. In the pre-Christian era, no other port in this region was as well-known globally. Yet, behind the well-documented history of Chattogram lies a trove of startling, untold stories still hidden from public knowledge. For instance, few are aware that four hundred years ago, a naval fleet from Chattogram attacked the distant Maldives, killing its king. In 1811, seventeen cannons were stolen from a British-owned shipyard in Chattogram’s Sadarghat—a seemingly local incident that eventually escalated into the Anglo-Burmese War, a conflict that reshaped the map of Southeast Asia. Another remarkable fact: a ship built in Chattogram in 1818 later became the first and flagship vessel of the German Navy formed in 1848. Moreover, the first commercial tea and coffee plantations in Bangladesh were established in the city of Chattogram. In 1872, a rare species of rhinoceros named “Munni Begum” from Chattogram made its way to the London Zoo. This book presents a stunning and lesser-known history of Chattogram, unveiling surprising episodes that reframe our understanding of this familiar city.