Iron girder bridge at Toongee [Tungi], near Dhaka, 1880’s Dhaka

Iron girder bridge at Toongee [Tungi], near Dhaka, 1880’s Dhaka

Iron girder bridge at Toongee [Tungi], near Dhaka, 1880’s Dhaka

Photograph of a bridge at Tungi in Dacca (Dhaka) taken in the 1880s, from an album 'Architectural Views of Dacca', containing 13 prints by Johnston and Hoffman. Dhaka, now the capital of Bangladesh, became prominent in the 17th century as a provincial capital of the Mughal empire, and was a major centre of trade, particularly in fine muslins. Its history, though largely obscured, is ancient, and it was brought under Islamic rule by the 13th century, first by the Delhi Sultanate then by the independent sultans of Bengal, after which it was taken by the Mughals in 1608. In the 18th century Dhaka was eclipsed by Murshidabad under the Nawabs of Bengal and its population diminished. As the fortunes of the Nawabs declined, the power of the East India Company became a new factor. Queen Victoria’s Proclamation in 1858 brought all the territories held by the Company (including Dhaka) under British rule. The photograph offers a view of an iron-girder bridge, spanning the River Buriganga and built shortly before this image was taken.