Cox's Bazar

About Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar is the southernmost district of the Chattogram division, a long, narrow strip between the Bay of Bengal and the hills of Bandarban, ending at the Naf river, which forms the border with Myanmar. Chattogram lies to the north. Nine upazilas make up the district: Cox's Bazar Sadar, Chakaria, Pekua, Ramu, Eidgaon, Ukhia, Teknaf and the island upazilas of Maheshkhali and Kutubdia. The 2022 census counted about 2.8 million people.

The district is best known for its beach, a gently sloping band of grey-gold sand that runs, with only river mouths to interrupt it, from the town of Cox's Bazar south to Teknaf, often described as the longest natural sea beach in the world. Wooded hills come right down to the coast at Himchhari, and the Marine Drive road hugs the shore between them and the sea. Offshore lie Maheshkhali, the only hilly island in Bangladesh, Sonadia with its mudflats and birds, and, beyond Teknaf, St. Martin's Island, the country's only coral island. The Matamuhuri, Bakkhali and Naf rivers drain the district.

History

The area was long contested between Bengal, the Mughals and the Arakanese kingdom to the south. A local tradition says that the Mughal prince Shah Shuja camped here on his flight to Arakan in 1660, and that Dulahazara ("a thousand palanquins") is named after his retinue. Older names for the place include Panowa and Palongkee. The modern town takes its name from Captain Hiram Cox of the East India Company, who was sent in the late 1790s to resettle Arakanese refugees and died in 1799; the market set up in his memory became Cox's Bazar. It became a subdivision of Chattogram in 1854 and a district on 1 March 1984.

Arakanese (Rakhine) settlers have shaped the district for centuries, and their Buddhist monasteries, or kyang, still stand in Ramu, Cox's Bazar town and Teknaf. Since August 2017 the district has also hosted the vast majority of Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar, in camps around Ukhia and Teknaf that together form one of the largest refugee settlements in the world.

Economy and livelihoods

Tourism is the main engine of the town, with hotels, guest houses, restaurants, beach services and transport employing tens of thousands of people. Along the coast, fishing and fish processing are just as important: Nazirartek, at the northern end of the town beach, is the country's largest dried-fish yard, where fish are split and dried on bamboo racks through the dry season. The coastal flats of Chakaria, Maheshkhali, Kutubdia and Teknaf produce most of Bangladesh's sea salt, and shrimp farms and hatcheries spread along the shore. Maheshkhali is also famous for its betel leaf, sent by the truckload to other districts, and the district grows rice, vegetables and areca nut inland.

Food, culture and festivals

The local language is Chittagonian, and the food leans heavily on the sea: fresh pomfret, coral fish, crab, prawns and lobster in beach-side restaurants, and every kind of shutki (dried fish) in the markets. The Rakhine community adds its own traditions, including the Sangraing water festival at the Rakhine New Year in mid-April, Buddhist festivals at the kyang, and markets selling handwoven cloth, Burmese-style sandals, pickles and other goods.

Banglapedia also lists the Buddhist Maghi and Baishakhi Purnima festivals and bali khela (traditional wrestling) among local traditions, and the Adinath temple on Maheshkhali's Mainak hill draws large crowds for its annual fair around Shiva Chaturdashi.

Places to visit in Cox's Bazar

1. Cox's Bazar sea beach

   The main beach at Laboni, Sugandha and Kolatoli points in town, busy with swimmers, beach chairs and sunset crowds. Swim only where lifeguards are on duty, as rip currents are common.

2. Himchhari and the Marine Drive

   Himchhari National Park, a short drive south of town, has forested hills, a viewpoint over the sea and a small waterfall that flows in the rainy season. The Marine Drive continues south along the coast to Teknaf with the sea on one side and hills on the other.

3. Inani beach

   A quieter beach south of Himchhari known for the dark coral-like rocks exposed at low tide, best visited in the morning or late afternoon.

4. Maheshkhali and the Adinath temple

   A short boat ride from Cox's Bazar, this hilly island has the Adinath Shiva temple on Mainak hill, a Buddhist pagoda, salt fields and betel leaf gardens.

5. Ramu

   An upazila north-east of town with a cluster of old Buddhist monasteries and a large reclining Buddha statue, a centre of Buddhist heritage in the district.

6. St. Martin's Island

   The country's only coral island, reached by ship from Cox's Bazar. To protect its ecosystem the government now limits visits to roughly November to January with a daily cap and an online travel pass, so check the latest rules before planning.

What Cox's Bazar is famous for

• Cox's Bazar dried fish (shutki)
• Maheshkhali betel leaf
• Coastal sea salt
• Rakhine handloom cloth
• Shell crafts

How to get to Cox's Bazar

Flights from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar Airport take about an hour. Since late 2023 direct trains run from Dhaka to the new Cox's Bazar station, taking roughly eight to nine hours, and buses from Dhaka take about ten to twelve hours via Chattogram, mostly overnight. From Chattogram it is roughly four hours by road. Within the district, auto-rickshaws and hired vehicles serve the Marine Drive, and boats cross to Maheshkhali from the town jetty.

Markets and haats

Burmese (Rakhine) market

Shops in Cox's Bazar town, many run by Rakhine families, selling handwoven cloth, sandals, pickles, hair oils and other goods from both sides of the border.

Beach shell markets

Stalls near the main beach points selling shell jewellery, conch shells, pearls and souvenirs. Check what you buy, as collecting some marine species is prohibited.

Nazirartek and BFDC fish landing

The town's fish landing centre and the drying yards beside it, where dried fish such as loitta (Bombay duck), churi (ribbonfish) and shrimp are sold wholesale and retail in the dry season.

Cox's Bazar at a glance

Shops from Cox's Bazar on Midmart

No shop from Cox's Bazar is selling on Midmart yet.

Questions about Cox's Bazar

More districts in Chattogram Division

• Bandarban Cloud-wrapped hills, the Sangu river and the highest peaks in Bangladesh
• Brahmanbaria The Titas, classical music, chhanamukhi and the gas fields that power the east
• Chandpur The home of hilsa, where the Padma, Meghna and Dakatia meet
• Chattogram Port city, green hills and mezban: the commercial capital of Bangladesh
• Cumilla Mainamati's Buddhist ruins, khadi cloth and the rasmalai everyone asks for
• Feni The gateway between Dhaka and Chattogram, home of Khandal's sweets
• Khagrachari Green hills on the Chengi river, Alutila cave and the road to Sajek
• Lakshmipur Soybean fields, coconut and betel nut groves on the Meghna estuary
• Noakhali New land from the Meghna: Hatiya, Nijhum Dwip and a famous dialect
• Rangamati Kaptai Lake, the hanging bridge and Sajek: the lake district of the hills