Dhaka (spelled as Dacca until 1983), the capital of Bangladesh, with a 1999 population of 9.3 million in an area of 1,528 square kilometers, is one of the densest cities of the world. Situated in the deltaic plain of Bengal, in the midst of a maze of rivers and canals, it is the last big urban stop on the great Gangetic stream as it cascades into the sea. The name Dhaka has often been used synonymously, and rather incorrectly, with Louis Kahn’s Capital Complex project that forms only a precinct—a significant one—in this burgeoning metropolis. The literal meaning of the name Dhaka is “concealed.” The enigmatic name might have originated from the “dhak” trees that are presumed to have been common in the area or the renowned 16th-century Dhakeswari Temple. Dhaka went through waves of decay and growth, from sporadic settlements datable to 10th century AD to a Mughal provincial capital in the 17th century and a deteriorated condition in the 18th c. until its consolidation as a thriving city...