English
বাংলা
The story
For centuries the finest cloth in the world was spun and woven around Dhaka. Weavers in Sonargaon, Dhamrai and other villages of the Meghna and Shitalakshya basin turned a local cotton, phuti karpas, into yarn so fine that a whole length of fabric was said to pass through a finger ring. Mughal courts and European traders prized it, and names such as malmal khas and abrawan ("running water") described its lightness. Under East India Company rule the trade collapsed, cheap mill cloth from Britain took its market, and by the late nineteenth century the skills and even the cotton plant had disappeared.
In the 2010s the government set out to bring it back. Researchers led by the Bangladesh Handloom Board, with botanists from Rajshahi University, compared wild cotton plants from around the country with old descriptions and museum samples and identified a plant they believe matches phuti karpas. Hand spinners were trained, jamdani weavers in Rupganj and Tarabo learned to work the new yarn, and by the end of 2020 the team had woven its first sarees, modelled on an eighteenth-century piece. Weaving has since also been organised at centres in Cumilla.
Dhakai muslin was registered as a geographical indication, with the certificate issued in 2021, and Dhakai phuti karpas cotton itself received GI registration in 2025. A second phase of the revival project began in 2025 with the aim of training private entrepreneurs for future production. Until then, revived muslin pieces have mostly been made for research and exhibition, not for ordinary retail sale.
How to spot the real Dhakai muslin
Be realistic: almost every "muslin" saree, scarf or panjabi on sale in Bangladesh is ordinary fine cotton, often mill-spun and sometimes power-loomed, sold under the famous name. That can still be a pleasant, light garment, but it is not Dhakai muslin. Genuine muslin is hand-spun from phuti karpas into very high yarn counts, so the cloth is almost weightless, slightly irregular in texture when held up to the light, and far softer than mill voile. Mill cotton looks perfectly even, with a uniform sheen. Silk "muslin" or "muslin silk" is a trade name for a different fabric altogether.
Buying tips
If a listing claims to be revived Dhakai muslin, ask directly: who spun the yarn, from what cotton, what the count is, and whether the piece came through the Bangladesh Handloom Board project or a weaver trained by it. Expect a very high price and limited stock; a low price is the clearest sign the cloth is something else. For everyday "muslin" cotton, judge it as fine cotton: thread count, handloom or power loom, and colour-fastness.
Every shop on Midmart sets its own delivery charge, so ordering from more than one shop means more than one charge. Midmart never handles payment or delivery: the seller agrees both with you directly. For an expensive piece, agree in writing what you are buying, ask for close-up photos against the light, and settle the return terms before any money changes hands.
Keeping it fresh
Treat any very fine cotton gently. Hand-wash in cold water with a mild soap, or have it dry-cleaned, and never wring or scrub it. Dry it flat in the shade, away from direct sun. Iron while slightly damp on a low setting. Store it rolled or loosely folded in a clean cotton cloth, in a dry cupboard, and refold it now and then so creases do not weaken the threads. Keep naphthalene wrapped in paper and away from the cloth; dried neem leaves are a gentler way to deter insects.
Find Dhakai muslin on Midmart
Shops from where it is made
Every shop on Midmart collects payment its own way and arranges its own delivery — Midmart never handles your money or your parcel. Delivery is charged per shop: order from three shops and you pay three delivery charges.
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Sources and photo credits
- Wikipedia: Dhaka muslin
- The Daily Star: Muslin's revival weaves past into present
- Global Voices: Bangladesh moves to revive production of muslin
- Wikipedia: Geographical indications in Bangladesh
- BSS: Industries adviser for enriching GI products commercially
- Late eighteenth-century muslin woven in Sonargaon, showing how sheer the cloth was — Photo: Faizul Latif Chowdhury · CC BY-SA 4.0 (source, CC BY-SA 4.0)