10 things to do in Sylhet, Bangladesh’s hidden gem
This April, the town of Sylhet in north-eastern Bangladesh will open itself to an international airline - Dubai-based Flydubai - for the first time. Bangladesh is one of the least explored countries in the world, but it has a huge reputation for friendliness and stunning natural beauty, and soon it won’t be just the hipster traveller who’ll get to enjoy all of that.
Here are ten things to do when you pluck up the courage to head to Sylhet.
1. VISIT THE TOMB OF SHEIKH SHAH JALAL
Sheikh Shah Jalal is a Turkish saint credited with spreading Islam in Bangladesh, and his tomb is Sylhet’s most popular site. Sit in the courtyard of the four-storey mosque and listen to the fantastical tales about Bangladesh’s most legendary Muslim saint, who was held in such high regard that Ibn Battuta stopped by and paid his respects.
2. CYCLE THROUGH LUSH TEA GARDENS
Bangladeshis love their tea, and as the Sylhet region is nestled in the hilly, lush Surma Valley, you’ll find the country’s most scenic tea estates here. Sreemangal has the most accessible ones, and the only way to explore them is on bicycle—after you get permission from the owners, of course.
3. TASTE A CUP OF SEVEN-LAYERED TEA
You cannot go to Bangladesh’s tea capital and not enjoy a cup of its world-famous seven-layered tea. This magical mystery tour for the taste buds is one cup with seven different types of tea neatly layered in it, and when you take a sip, you can taste the distinct flavour of each and every one!
4. EXPLORE PRIMORDIAL MANGROVE WATERWAYS
A land of water, Bangladesh is blessed with stunning mangrove forests. The most famous, the Sundarbans, are in the south of Bangladesh, but Sylhet has the impressive Ratargul Swamp Forest. Exploring the narrow creeks and overgrown watery inlets of this swampland teeming with wildlife in a local wooden canoe will feel like a scene from Tomb Raider.
5. LISTEN TO THE MYSTIC BAULS
Bauls are the mystic wandering songsters of Bangladesh, and as the Sylhet region is home to Hasan Raja, one of the most famous, the area is a kind of spiritual home for them. Ideally, you want to attend a late-night session in the village yard, under the stars, warmed only by the flickering flames from a wood fire, so that the Baul’s words penetrate your very soul and dance with it.
6. TASTE AN EXQUISITE FISH CURRY
More than 700 rivers crisscross Bangladesh, which is why fish dominates the Bangladeshi cuisine. In Sylhet, they will dry it, salt it, grill it, grind it or fry it, and in each instance it will first be curried. Bangladeshi fish curry is one of the most exquisite fish dishes on the subcontinent, so don’t leave Sylhet without getting someone to cook it for you.
7. STAY IN AN ECO-COTTAGE
In spite of its poverty, one thing Bangladesh does surprisingly well is eco-tourism, with some of the best options found in Sreemangal, close to the tea gardens. The Nishorgo eco-cottages are probably the best; they are beautifully simple, set in stunning green locations and use renewable sources of energy, and all the revenue directly supports the local economy.
8. LISTEN TO SINGING ENDANGERED PRIMATES
The Western Hoolock Gibbon is one of the world’s rarest and most endangered apes, but it is most famous for its duet-singing. The “Barry White” of the primate world can be found loitering in the treetops of Lawacherra rainforest near Sreemangal, but with only sixty of them here, chances are you’ll hear them rather than see them.
9. GO BIRD WATCHING
Sylhet is on the main Siberian migratory route for birds on the Eurasian journey, and because of amazing wetland ecosystems called haors, the area is treated as an uber-fancy service station by around 170 species. Time to get those binoculars out!
10. RIDE A RICKSHAW
Rural and undeveloped Sylhet is a million miles from the fast-paced, hi-tech worlds of Dubai, London and New York, and to really appreciate this, you need to board a rickshaw. These brightly coloured local “taxis” are manned and powered by the hardest working (and poorest) men in the country. Granted, you will feel every bump and ridge in the road, but at little more than walking pace, it will only add to the serenity.
(This article is written by Tharik Hussain. Tharik is a freelance British Muslim travel writer, journalist, broadcaster and photographer specialising in the Muslim stories of Europe. Hussain’s first ever radio documentary, America’s Mosques; A Story of Integration, has been declared one of the world’s best radio documentaries for 2016. All his work can be viewed at www.tharikhussain.co.uk)
Tharik Hussain