| Bangladesh National Museum | |
| Native Name: | বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় জাদুঘর |
| Native Name Lang: | bn |
| Former Name: | Dacca Museum |
| Location: | Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Director: | Md. Kamruzzaman[1] |
| Visitors: | (including c. 1.2 million foreigners) per year |
The Bangladesh National Museum (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় জাদুঘর|translit=Bānlādēśa jātīẏa jādughara), is the national museum of Bangladesh.[2] The museum is well organized and displays have been housed chronologically in several departments like department of ethnography and decorative art, department of history and classical art, department of natural history, and department of contemporary and world civilization. The museum also has a rich conservation laboratory. Nalini Kanta Bhattasali served as the first curator of the museum during 1914–1947.[3]
Bangladesh National Museum was originally established on 20 March 1913, albeit under another name (Dacca Museum), and formally inaugurated on 7 August 1913 by The Lord Carmichael, the governor of Bengal. In July 1915 it was handed over to the Naib Nazim of Dhaka.[4] Bangladesh National Museum was formed through the incorporation of Dhaka museum and it was made the national museum of Bangladesh on 17 November 1983. It is located at Shahbag, Dhaka.[5] It has several publications from 1978, first was "Islamic Art in Bangladesh, Catalogue".[6]
On an average more than 2000 visitors come to visit the Bangladesh National Museum every day. Foreigners are also among them. Visitor fee is Tk 40 for adults and Tk 20 for minors. 500 for foreigners and 300 for visitors from SAARC countries.[7] However, tickets are not required for children below 03 years of age and physically challenged persons.
The categories of artifacts of the National Museum are:
There is also a public education department.
Bangladesh National Museum is an autonomous institution established by law and controlled by a board of trustees. However, a director general appointed by the government holds the overall responsibility as the chief executive of the museum. There are currently 330 officers and employees working in the Bangladesh National Museum.
The ground floor consists of some old guns at the entrance and the hall where the people book their tickets or assemble to hear the history of the museum. The hall leads to a grand staircase. Beside the hall, there is a smaller room which also acts like the hall (it is also used by the guides to tell the visitors about the history) and a simple staircase.
The first floor is divided into 22 rooms.
The first room displays a large map showing the map of Bangladesh and its 64 districts.
The second room consists of a large statue of a royal Bengal tiger.
These rooms consist of natural beauties found in Bangladesh. In one of the room there is showcase of a tongue of a whale.
The other rooms contain some historic relics of Bengal up to 1900. There is a room which shows the different boats used by the rural people.
The second floor consists of photos of famous people and showcases the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Language Movement of 1952. There are posters used in the war, a torture machine and much more. There are also two libraries.
The third floor consists of pictures of international politicians, artists, scientists, famous pictures and four international galleries – Chinese, Korean, Iranian and Swiss.[8]