History of Dhaka Muslin

The history of dhaka muslin is much older than its Ghorka introduction to Nepal.  The word 'muslin' is likely a British concoction referring to all cloth which came thru Mosul and other loci in the Far East.

The Bengal textile industry is very old.  Cotton fabrics were exported to the Roman Empire and China over two thousand years ago and are mentioned by Ptolemy. Dhaka muslin became very famous under the Mugal Emperors and was a feature at the 1857 Exhibit of London.

The finest muslin, Malmal, was made of phuti cotton grown along the banks of the Brahmaputra.  Other types of cotton, bairait and desee, produced an inferior dhaka cloth.

The finest cloth was produced in Dhaka, Dhamrai, Teetbady, Junglebary, and Bajitpur.

European traders set up settlements in the 17th century for muslin trade.  First came the Portugese in the early 1600's, then the Dutch in 1663, the British in 1669, and the French in 1682.

By the mid 19th century, muslin exports were but a fraction of the 1600's levels because of cheap industrial looms making huge amounts of cloth in England.

Growing cotton nearly died out in Bangladesh as families turned to more traditional farming. The manufacture of fine muslin survived into the 20th century only in select pockets of Bangladesh..

• What is dhaka? 

• What is the history of dhaka? 

• How is dhaka made? 

• Is there a catalog of the weaver's products? 

• How much does dhaka cost?