Chittagong, the second-largest city in the country, is the principal city of the southeastern administrative division of Bangladesh. It is a thriving port set amid lovely natural surroundings studded with green-clad knolls, coconut palms, mosques and minarets, against the background of the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal.
The Old City retains many echoes of past European settlements, mainly by the Portuguese, as well as many mosques. These include the 17th-century Shahi Jama-e-Masjid – which closely resembles a fort – set astride a hilltop, and the earlier Qadam Mubarek Mosque. The Chilla of Bada Shah stands to the west of Bakshirhat in the old city. The higher ground to the northwest was, in due course, settled by the British, and this is now where most of the city’s commercial activity is conducted. The Dargah of Sah Amanat is a holy shrine located in the heart of the town.