Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. The iconic Cox's Bazar Beach, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangladesh, is the longest uninterrupted beach in the world. It is located south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, which translates literally as "yellow flower." Another old name was "Palongkee". Kutupalong refugee camp with more than a million Rohingya refugees is in Cox's Bazar. The city covers an area of with 58 mahallas and 27 wards and as of 2011 had a population of 223,522. Cox's Bazar is connected by road and air with Chittagong. The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Hiram Cox, an officer of the British East India Company, a Superintendent of Palongkee outpost. To commemorate his role in refugee rehabilitation work, a market was established and named after him. It is one of Bangladesh's main tourist spots. The city has the longest uninterrupted natural beach in the world. In 2023 Bangladesh evacuated over 50,000 people to safe shelters as Cyclone Mocha approached. History During the early 9th century, the greater Chittagong area, including Cox's Bazar, was under the rule of Arakan kings until its conquest by the Mughals in 1666. When the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja was passing through the hilly terrain of the present-day Cox's Bazar on his way to Arakan, he was attracted to its scenic and captivating beauty. He commanded his forces to camp there. His retinue of one thousand palanquins stopped there for some time. A place named Dulahazara, meaning "one thousand palanquins," still exists in the area. After the Mughals, the place came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese, followed by the Portuguese and then the British.