Sultanate of Bengal
Bangladesh, 1352–1576. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Bengal Sultanate was a late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th centuries. It was the dominant power of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, with a network of mint towns spread across the region. The sultanate controlled large parts of eastern South Asia under its five unrelated dynasties, reaching its peak under Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah. Its decline began with an interregnum by the Sur Empire, followed by Mughal conquest and disintegration into petty kingdoms.
Seat of power: Sonargaon
No rulers documented for this era yet.
Culture
- The kingdom was known for its religious pluralism, where non-Muslim communities coexisted peacefully.
- While Persian was used as the primary official, diplomatic, and commercial language, it was under the Sultans that Bengali first received court recognition as an official language.
- In 1500, the royal capital of Gaur was the fifth-most populous city in the world.
- Contemporary European and Chinese visitors described the Bengal Sultanate as a prosperous and thriving kingdom.
Picture
The Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat is the largest mosque in Bangladesh from the Bengal Sultanate period and was built by Khan Jahan Ali, the governor of the Sundarbans.
Image: মোয়ায মাহমুদ, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.