National Martyrs' Memorial

Bangladesh’s principal national monument to the martyrs of 1971, rising 150 feet above the plain of Savar.

 Located approximately 35 km northwest of Dhaka in Savar, the National Martyrs’ Memorial (Jatiyo Smriti Soudho) was designed by architect Syed Mainul Hossain following a national competition in 1978. Completed and inaugurated on 16 December 1982, the monument consists of seven pairs of triangular concrete prisms that increase in height toward the centre, the tallest reaching 150 feet (46 m). Each pair symbolises a decisive chapter in the nation’s struggle: the 1952 Language Movement, the 1954 United Front election, the 1956 Constitution Movement, the 1962 Education Movement, the 1966 Six-Point Movement, the 1969 Mass Uprising, and the 1971 Liberation War. The 84-acre complex includes mass graves, an artificial lake, and a surrounding green belt.