Bangladesh plans to restore centuries-old cemetery in Dhaka
Restoration targets 22 graves in centuries-old Dhaka cemetery tracing city’s links with Portuguese traders and later Christian communities
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh has begun restoring another section of one of its oldest cemeteries, seeking to preserve centuries-old graves and monuments that document Dhaka’s changing communities and its history as a major center of regional trade.
The second phase of conservation at Wari Christian Cemetery, also known as Narinda Cemetery, will restore 22 historic graves and monuments in its eastern section that have deteriorated after decades of neglect.
The cemetery dates to the late 16th century, when Portuguese Christians were among the European merchants operating in the Bengal region during the Mughal period.
It subsequently became a burial ground for Christians of different backgrounds, leaving behind monuments connected to several periods of Dhaka’s history.
According to the UCA News,the latest restoration phase was launched on Sept. 29 by Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md. Abdus Salam and Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze of Dhaka, who chairs the Dhaka Christian Cemetery Board.
Spread across about 26,000 square meters, the cemetery contains the graves of people who played roles in Dhaka’s commercial, educational and social life, including Europeans and Chinese Christians.
Conservation architect Abu Sayeed M. Ahmed said the project would preserve the graves in their existing form rather than reconstruct them, using traditional materials and techniques, including lime-surkhi, a historic lime-and-brick mixture used in South Asian buildings.
The 22 structures have suffered varying degrees of damage, including weakened masonry, deteriorating stonework and erosion of inscriptions and decorative elements, requiring separate conservation approaches.
The latest work follows an initial restoration phase completed in 2025 that included Colombo Sahib’s tomb, a 17th-century mausoleum believed to contain the remains of a European merchant who lived and died in Dhaka, as well as the cemetery’s Moorish-style gateway.
The British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia and Commonwealth Heritage Forum are supporting the second phase. Dhaka South City Corporation has also pledged 500,000 Bangladeshi taka ($4,100) toward development and maintenance.
Salam said preserving the site went beyond maintaining a religious burial ground because the cemetery provides a physical record of the capital’s urban history. Authorities also plan improvements to drainage, pathways, lighting, waste management and security.
The cemetery remains an active burial ground, with 32 Catholic and Protestant churches registered with its governing board.
During British colonial rule, the cemetery was administered by the colonial government before being transferred to the Church of Bangladesh in the 1940s.
Its surviving graves, mausoleums and memorials now span several centuries, making their conservation part of a broader effort to protect physical traces of the communities that helped shape Dhaka into the city it is today.
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