Chittagong, Bangladesh

Chittagong is the second largest city in Bangladesh with population amounting to 2.5 million. It is a key international port and considered to be among the ten fastest growing cities in the world. Chittagong is characterized by high urban growth and serious traffic.

There are several a couple of theories aiming to explain the origin of the city's name. According to one of them it is derived from the world “chati” - meaning lamp. The story unfolds that centuries ago an Muslim preacher arrived from the sea with the sole desire to spread the postulates of his religion to the local population. He climbed the nearby hill and welcomed everyone to join his prayer to God, lighting a “chati”.

Different point of view claims that the first brahmins to appear in the regions were called “chatt-upadhyays”, thus the site was named  chatto-gan - “gan” being a word for village.

Many are the attractions Chittagong could offer to its visitors, including mosques, shrines, forts, tombs, museums,etc. A particular example is the Tomb of Sultan Bayazid Bostam. It is named after a revered saint who lived in the 9th century. The structures is complemented by a monastery and at the entrance the visitors face a lake full of fish and numerous tortoises. It is believed that turtles are actually descendants of evil spirits, which were turned in animal shape as punishment to their ill actions.

Near the city one could also examine the great site of pilgrimage – the Hindu temple, Chandranath. There is also a Buddhist temple close by, which is said to have Buddha footprint. Both of the shrines are extremely important for both religions devotees and are quite worthy of seeing.

Another attraction in Chittagong is the Foy's Lake. No matter that it is not a natural wonder it represents nevertheless an amazing view. The lake was named after British engineer and was created in 1924. Now it is a place where a theme park spreads, where save from the scenery one could enjoy fun rides and boat trips. Within the park there is also a zoo.

If you are to travel to Bangladesh or if you simply have friends or family there, you can call Bangladesh directly using VoIP international calls.