Museum of Independence

Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Year Completed: 2012
Program: Museum
Area:

The Museum of Independence in Dhaka, Bangladesh depicts the struggle for independence of Bangladesh. It shows the history of the nation since Mughal tenure to independence in 1971. It is the first and only underground museum in the country. The museum is part of a 67-acre complex at Suhrawardy Udyan, the site from where Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave his historic speech declaring the struggle for independence, and where the Pakistani forces surrendered after the War of Liberation.

The underground museum is part of a master plan that includes a multimedia projection theater, an amphitheater, three water pools, Shikha Chirantony (eternal flame) symbolizing the eternity of Bengali nationalism, a mural based on the struggle for independence and other ancillary facilities. There is also a 155-seat auditorium in the complex. The focal point in the experience of the space is the monument, Tower of Light which is a 50-meter high tower composed of stacked glass panels.[3] The museum is situated beneath the tower of light. The museum’s plaza area has a 5669 square meter of tiled floor. Its underground terrace has a fountain at the center where water is falls from over the ceiling.

Photographs

Image © Asif Salman