Ahsan Manzil is located on the banks of the river Buriganga in Islampur, Old Dhaka. The veranda and floor of the two-storey building are made of marble. Each room of Ahsan Manzil is octagonal and the roof of this building is made of wood. Inside the palace are the dining room, library, pool, court hall and billiard playground. And on the second floor of the palace there are guest rooms, living room, dance hall, library and some other living rooms. Right in front of the palace there is a beautiful flower garden and green field. A large staircase descends from the second floor of Ahsan Manzil to the green field.
Ahsan Manzil is considered to be the first brick-and-stone architectural monument in Dhaka city. The first electric lamp was lit in this building by the then Nawabs. The architectural style of Ahsan Manzil attracts the West equally, as evidenced by the fact that Lord Curzon actually lived in this building in Dhaka. At present Ahsan Manzil is preserved as a museum of the Government of Bangladesh. The museum was opened to the public in 1992. There are 4,006 patterns in 23 rooms of Rangmahal of Ahsan Manzil.
History
Zamindar Sheikh Inayetullah established Rangmahal in the early eighteenth century and later his son Sheikh Matiullah sold it to French merchants. Khwaja Alimullah, the father of Nawab Abdul Ghani, bought the palace in 1835 and started living there. Nawab Abdul Ghani rebuilt it in 162 and named the palace after his son Ahsan Manzil.