Bangladesh: Shahid Minar aka Martyr Monument

In 1952, Bangladesh was still part of Pakistan and known as East Pakistan. The government in Islamabad tried to force a uniform language, Urdu, on the people who hadn’t ever spoken it. Protests erupted in Dhaka and were violently suppressed and many killed. Pakistan recognized the Bengali language to appease Bangladeshi and the monument was erected. 15 years later it was destroyed during the Bangladesh liberation war for independence from Pakistan, but once that happened – the monument was rebuilt. It is a rather simple and austere monument of the red sun and ornaments in the ground. The most interesting part are the murals, some bloody and gruesome, describing the war for independence from Pakistan.
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