Ahsan Bari and Nibras Ahmed

Photos: Ahsan Bari. The image of Bangabazar before the fire was collected from a Facebook group.

What would you do and how would you feel if you had your business – that took years to grow with all the blood, sweat and tears – go up in flames, charred to ashes in just one night? 

Add to that, you had your eyes on this one big sale season to recover from the losses you have been incurring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing inflation. 

This is what exactly happened with not one, not two but with thousands of traders, and employees of Bangabazar Shopping Complex located in Gulistan – the heart of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

A piece of history itself

Bangabazar came into existence in 1965 (years before Bangladesh earned its independence from Pakistan in 1971) with mostly hawkers and vendors selling snacks, drinks, souvenirs and other daily-use items. 

The destination later transformed into the country’s largest wholesale and retail market for an array of RMG products and traditional wear attracting local consumers and traders as well as buyers from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Iran, Russia and other parts of the world for its affordability.

Bangabazar is located in the heart of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. A satellite view shows the exact location of the shopping complex (before it got destroyed in the recent fire). GIF: Prepared by Ahsan Bari using Google Earth imagery.

The readymade garments hub has four units – alongside the Bangabazar Shopping Complex, there are also Gulistan, Mahanagari and Adarsha units – covering a total land area of 21,250 sq ft with thousands of shops mostly made out of tin and wood accompanied by concrete pillars and steel beams.

Hopes up in flames

It was during Ramadan, on the early morning of a Tuesday (4 April 2023), when all hell broke loose, and ever since nothing remained the same for Bangabazar and its people – which was more than just a mere market, it was their livelihood, their lifeline.

Eid-ul-Fitr (the biggest religious festival for Muslims) was just around the corner. Bangabazar was bustling with activity as traders were busy stocking up their shops with new clothes and other items targetting the festival to recoup from seasons of losses. 

An aerial view shows firefighters trying to douse the fire in Bangabazar on 4 April, 2023. Photo: Collected from Reuters 

Also, shoppers had just received or were about to get their salaries and festival bonuses marking the start of the biggest spending season in the country, which can be compared to Christmas for the US economy.

Around 5:30-6am, a fire broke out in one of the shops and spread rapidly to adjacent shops and markets, raging for over 72 hours.

The fire destroyed some 5,000 shops, reducing the dreams and livelihoods of thousands of traders and employees to ashes. Photo: Ahsan Bari


The traders tried their heart and soul, risking their lives by entering the burning shopping complex, to salvage whatever they could but were able to do so little battling the massive inferno.

The tragic incident registered a whopping loss of some Tk1,000 crore (1 DKK = 16 BDT) and over 30 people, including firefighters, got hurt while trying to douse the fire. 

But beyond all the numbers, there are thousands of people and their families whose dreams and hopes for a better, brighter and prosperous future went up in smoke in a matter of hours. 
Photo: Ahsan Bari


Delving deeper into the aftermath of the Bangabazar tragedy, we uncover stories of unwavering resilience and a determination to find hope amidst the ruins. We would urge our audience to join us as we connect with the victims of the incident in a series of video interviews, where they candidly share their experiences and aspirations in the wake of the fire that shook their lives.