Sylhet

Sylhet (Bengali: সিলেট, pronounced ) is a metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as of 2025, the metro area population of Sylhet is estimated to be 1,033,000, reflecting a 3.4% increase from 2024. This makes it the third-largest urban area in Bangladesh.

Sylhet is known for its tea plantations and natural scenery. The region has been inhabited since ancient times, and since the city's establishment in the 14th century has been ruled by various dynasties including the Mughals, the British, and the Nawabs of Bengal. The city is also home to several important landmarks, such as one of the Islamic sites in Bangladesh, the Shah Jalal Dargah, which attracts thousands of pilgrims annually.

Sylhet is one of the most economically important cities in Bangladesh after Dhaka and Chittagong. A major commercial and financial center, Sylhet is home to several multinational companies and industries, including the tea industry, which generates a significant amount of revenue for the city. Sylhet has diverse transport infrastructure, with a modern airport, railway station, and bus terminals that connect it to other parts of the country. The city also has several educational institutions, including Sylhet Agricultural University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Sylhet Cadet College.

In 1303, the Sultan of Lakhnauti Shamsuddin Firoz Shah conquered Sylhet by defeating Gour Govinda. Sylhet became a part of the Bengal Sultanate. In the 16th century, Sylhet was controlled by the Baro-Bhuiyan zamindars and later became a sarkar (district) of the Mughal Empire. Sylhet emerged after 1612 as the Mughals' most significant imperial outpost in Bengal east of Dhaka, and its importance remained as such throughout the seventeenth century. British rule began in the 18th century under the administration of the East India Company. Sylhet became a key source of lascars in the British Empire due in part to its ancient seafaring tradition. The Sylhet municipal board was established in 1867. Originally part of the Bengal Presidency and later Eastern Bengal and Assam, the town became part of Colonial Assam in 1874. A devastating earthquake demolished almost the entire town on 12 June 1897 following which a modern and European model new town was built on the wreckage.^{[citation needed]} From the beginning of the 20th century, the importance of Sylhet increased with the establishment of the tea industry.

In 1947, following a referendum and the partition of British India, Sylhet became part of East Pakistan. In 1995, the Government of Bangladesh declared Sylhet as the sixth divisional headquarters of the country. Sylhet has played a vital role in the Economy of Bangladesh. Several of Bangladesh's finance ministers have been members of parliament from the city of Sylhet. Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran was a long time mayor of Sylhet. Humayun Rashid Choudhury, a diplomat from Sylhet, served as President of the UN General Assembly and Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament.

In 2001, the municipality was upgraded to the Sylhet City Corporation. It was made a metropolitan city in 2009.