Sylhet The Tea Paradise

Sylhet, is a divisional city in north-eastern Bangladesh, laying between the Khasia and the Jaintia hills on the north, and the Tripura hills on the south, Sylhet breaks the monotony of the flatness of this land by a multitude of terraced tea gardens, rolling countryside and the exotic flora and fauna. The Sylhet valley is formed by a beautiful, winding pair of rivers named the Surma and the Kushiara both of which are fed by innumerable hill streams from the north and the south. The valley has good number of haors which are big natural depressions. During winter these haors are vast stretches of green land, but in the rainy season they turn into turbulent seas. These haors provide a sanctuary to the millions of migratory birds who fly from Siberia across the Himalayas to avoid the severe cold there

Sylhet, the tea granary of Bangladesh, not only has over 150 tea gardens but also proudly possesses three largest tea gardens in the world in respect of dimension and production.

Sylhet has a history of conquests and heritage from different types of cultures. Historians believe that Sylhet was an expanded commercial center from the ancient period. The city is described as a “City of Saints”, with the mausoleum of the great saint Hazrat Shah Jalal (R), who brought Islam to Bengal during the 14th century, being located here.

The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal, Hazrat Shah Paran, Haripur Gas Field, Madhabkunda, Srimangal, Temple of Sri Chaitannya Dev, Shahi Eidgah, Gour Gobinda Fort, Jaintiapur, Manipuri Dance, Handicrafts and many more.

Although Sylhet is a small city in comparison to the capital, it has been transformed drastically over the years. As the one of the wealthiest cities in the country, the skyline of the city is mainly dominated by large buildings of western-style shopping malls and apartments, global standard resort, hotels, restaurants and stores, often themed on those found in London, which have been established to cater to the visiting Sylheti expatriate population.

Sylhet is well connected by highways and railway links to Chittagong and Dhaka, as well as other parts of Sylhet. Highway links to India have been established through the Asian highway.