History & Background
Built between 1859 and 1872 by Nawab Abdul Ghani on the site of an earlier French trading post, Ahsan Manzil was named after his son Khwaja Ahsanullah and served as the residence and seat of the Dhaka Nawab family. It witnessed grand receptions for colonial viceroys and the political meetings that shaped early 20th-century Bengal. Badly damaged by a tornado in 1888 and later by floods, it was restored and reopened in 1992 as a museum housing the Nawabs' furniture, portraits, and household relics.