The Greeks of Dhaka

Dhaka once boasted several foreign communities. We commonly hear of the Armenians, but did you know that there was once a Greek community as well? A small but graceful-looking memorial that stands at a corner of the TSC field in Dhaka University is a reminder of that Greek presence. 

Perween Hasan, in her piece "Old Churches and Cemeteries of Dhaka", published in the book "Dhaka: Past, Present, Future" mentioned that there used to be a Greek cemetery in our city and that the present mausoleum was built in 1915. 

Read more

History of the Greek community in Dhaka

The memorial houses several old gravestones. Hasan added that the oldest stone is of Sultana Alexander, who passed away in 1800.  

As for the community itself, James Taylor wrote in A Sketch of the Topography & Statistics of Dacca (1840), "Like the Armenians, the Greeks were chiefly engaged in inland trade, and there are a few who still deal extensively in salt at Narayanganj."