Motijheel

Pearl Lake foundations

Lake of Pearls

Between Old Dhaka and Ramna

Situated at coordinates 23.72772 latitude and 90.41919 longitude in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh, Motijheel functions as a central business district and a thana of Dhaka. Translating literally from Bengali terms as Lake of Pearls, the district sits immediately adjacent to Dhaka's zero point.

Historical accounts trace the terrain through Mughal rule as the estate and abode of Mirza Mohammad Mukim, while also encompassing the Dilkusha property of the Nawab of Dhaka. Geographically, the area covers an area of 3.69 square kilometres, or 1.42 square miles. Positioned directly adjacent to Paltan and Segunbagicha, the thana is bounded by the thana of Rampura to the north, Khilgaon Thana to the north and east, Sutrapur Thana to the south, Sabujbagh Thana to the east, Ramna Model Thana to the northwest, and Paltan to the west. Historically functioning as a garden situated between Ramna and Old Dhaka, the landscape shifted from a Mughal official's property and a Nawab's garden into a dense urban landscape.

Operating within the Asia/Dhaka timezone, the locality is characterized by a high concentration of high-rise buildings and commercial structures. Well-known roundabouts such as Shapla Square and Balaka Square punctuate the streetscape, while the broader geography supports the Bangabhaban presidential palace, surrounded by the Bangabhaban Gardens, formerly known as the Nawab's Gardens.

Demographic recordings from the 2022 Bangladeshi census outline a population of 83,588 residents distributed across 22,441 households within the thana. An earlier census from 2011 recorded a population of 210,006. The urban center features extensive banking headquarters, government offices, and institutional landmarks, functioning collectively as the bankpara neighbourhood of banks and the primary financial hub of the country, utilizing the BDT currency alongside the official languages of Bengali and English.