Noakhali

About Noakhali

Noakhali lies on the south-eastern coast where the Meghna meets the Bay of Bengal. Cumilla borders it to the north, Feni and Chattogram to the east, Lakshmipur and Bhola to the west, and the estuary to the south. Nine upazilas make up the district: Noakhali Sadar, Begumganj, Sonaimuri, Chatkhil, Senbagh, Companiganj, Kabirhat, Subarnachar and the island upazila of Hatiya. With about 3.6 million people in 2022, it is one of the most populous districts in the division. The headquarters is Maijdee, because the old town of Noakhali was swallowed by the Meghna in the early 1950s.

The landscape is flat, green and very young. Much of the south consists of chars built from Meghna silt within living memory, and the district keeps growing as new land rises from the estuary. Hatiya, one of the largest islands in the country, and Nijhum Dwip beyond it, with its planted mangrove forest and herds of spotted deer, are the main attractions for visitors. Inland, villages sit among dense groves of coconut and betel-nut palms beside ponds and canals.

History

The district was long known as Bhulua, after the medieval Bhulua kingdom that ruled the coast until the Mughals took it in the early seventeenth century. The name Noakhali, meaning "new canal", comes from a canal dug in the seventeenth century to drain floodwater from the farmland; the British formed Bhulua district in 1821 and renamed it Noakhali in 1868. Like the rest of the coast, it has suffered repeatedly from cyclones and river erosion.

In late 1946 communal violence swept through greater Noakhali, and Mahatma Gandhi spent several months walking from village to village on a peace mission; the Gandhi Ashram at Jayag in Sonaimuri preserves his memory and works in rural development. Noakhali is also the home of Bir Sreshtho Mohammad Ruhul Amin, a naval engine room artificer killed in December 1971, whose village of Bagpanchra in Sonaimuri has a memorial and library.

Economy and livelihoods

Remittances are central to Noakhali's economy: workers from the district are spread across the Middle East, Europe and beyond, and money sent home funds houses, shops and schools. Farming produces rice, vegetables, chillies, groundnut and soybean on the chars, and coconut and betel nut from village groves. Buffalo herds graze the coastal chars of Hatiya and Subarnachar, and fishing on the Meghna and in the bay supports many coastal families. Choumuhani in Begumganj is one of the busiest commercial towns in the region.

Food, culture and festivals

The Noakhali dialect is famous across Bangladesh, often affectionately imitated in film and comedy, and it is also spoken in Feni, Lakshmipur and parts of Tripura in India. Local food uses plenty of coconut, fish and dried fish, and the thick buffalo-milk curd of Hatiya and the chars is a prized treat at weddings and gatherings.

The district has a long puthi tradition, and Banglapedia lists palagan, kabigan, jatra, folk tales and proverbs among its folk culture. The Bajra Shahi Mosque, decorated with broken-china mosaic, and many old pond-side mosques reflect the area's religious history, while the Catholic church in Sonapur recalls an old Portuguese connection.

Places to visit in Noakhali

1. Nijhum Dwip National Park, Hatiya

   A low island at the edge of the estuary covered by planted keora mangrove, home to thousands of spotted deer, migratory birds in winter and quiet beaches. Reaching it takes a boat journey via Hatiya, so plan at least two days.

2. Bajra Shahi Mosque, Sonaimuri

   A three-domed Mughal-era mosque at Bajra, built in the 1740s and later covered in a striking mosaic of broken china, a protected monument.

3. Gandhi Ashram, Jayag

   The centre at Jayag in Sonaimuri associated with Gandhi's 1946 peace mission, with a small museum and a trust that runs rural development work.

4. Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin memorial, Bagpanchra

   A memorial and library in the home village of the 1971 naval hero in Sonaimuri upazila.

5. Musapur, Companiganj

   A coastal spot near a closure dam on the estuary, popular for its open skies, sunsets and sandy banks.

What Noakhali is famous for

• Hatiya buffalo-milk curd
• Coconut
• Betel nut (supari)
• Coastal dried fish

How to get to Noakhali

Buses from Dhaka's Sayedabad and Jatrabari reach Maijdee and Choumuhani in roughly four and a half to five and a half hours. The Upakul Express and other trains run from Dhaka to Noakhali station via Laksam, taking about five hours. For Hatiya, launches leave Dhaka's Sadarghat for an overnight trip, or travellers cross from Chairman Ghat in Subarnachar by boat or sea truck. From Hatiya, boats and local transport continue to Nijhum Dwip. Sea crossings depend on the weather, so avoid them in rough monsoon conditions.

Markets and haats

Choumuhani bazaar

The biggest commercial centre in greater Noakhali, with wholesale markets for rice, spices, cloth and household goods serving several districts.

Maijdee bazaar

The main market of the district town, with fresh produce, fish and everyday goods.

Oskhali and Hatiya island bazaars

Markets on Hatiya where islanders sell fish, dried fish, buffalo-milk curd, coconuts and vegetables brought in from the chars.

Noakhali at a glance

Shops from Noakhali on Midmart

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Questions about Noakhali

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
• Cox's Bazar An unbroken sea beach, the Marine Drive, dried fish and salt fields
• 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
• Rangamati Kaptai Lake, the hanging bridge and Sajek: the lake district of the hills