Sylhet (Bengali: সিলেট; IPA: [sileʈ]) is a metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh.

[6] The region has been inhabited since ancient times, and since the city's establishment in the 14th century has been ruled by various dynasties including the Mughals, the British, and the Nawabs of Bengal.

The city is also home to several important landmarks, such as one of the Islamic sites in Bangladesh, the Shah Jalal Dargah, which attracts thousands of pilgrims annually.

Sylhet has diverse transport infrastructure, with a modern airport, railway station, and bus terminals that connect it to other parts of the country.

[11] The city of Śrīhaṭṭa takes its name from Śrīhaṭṭanātha, the tutelary deity of the Nātha dynasty who promoted the early settlement of Nāthas in the Surma and Barak valleys between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, founding the Śrīhaṭṭa janapada and establishing Śrīhaṭṭanātha idols across the region.

[12] The later Hindu monarchs of Sylhet, such as Gour Govinda, continued to pay tribute to the deity as Hāṭkeśvara or Haṭṭanātha as evident from the Devipurana and copper-plate inscriptions.

[13] In 1303, the Sultan of Lakhnauti Shamsuddin Firoz Shah conquered Sylhet by defeating Gour Govinda.

[15] Sylhet emerged after 1612 as the Mughals' most significant imperial outpost in Bengal east of Dhaka, and its importance remained as such throughout the seventeenth century.

Sylhet became a key source of lascars in the British Empire due in part to its ancient seafaring tradition.

[citation needed] From the beginning of the 20th century, the importance of Sylhet increased with the establishment of the tea industry.

Humayun Rashid Choudhury, a diplomat from Sylhet, served as President of the UN General Assembly and Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament.

The rainy season runs from April to October, and is generally hot and humid with heavy showers and thunderstorms almost every day.

[21] The city is located within a topographically distinctive region of Bangladesh characterized by dramatic hills and basins.

The physiography of Sylhet consists mainly of hill soils and encompasses a few large depressions known locally as "beels," which are frequently oxbow lakes caused by tectonic subsidence during the earthquake of 1762.

[28] On July 28, 2002, Sylhet Municipality board was upgraded to a City Corporation, which covered an area of 26.50 square kilometers and was divided into 27 wards.

Subsequently, the expanded areas were reorganized and boundaries were defined on a ward basis under Sections 29 and 30 of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009.

[32] The cantonment is also home of the School of Infantry and Tactics (SI&T) and the 1st Para-commando Battalion, an elite commando unit of the Bangladesh Army.

The majority of people in Sylhet are Muslims (86.5%), while other religious groups include Hindus (13.3%) and less than 0.2% of other religions, mainly Buddhists and Christians.

The city receives a significant portion of the country's annual remittances, which have driven growth in real estate and construction.

Sylhet also relies on religious tourism, with thousands of devotees visiting its Sufi shrines annually, as well as ecotourism in its broader natural hinterland.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates several flights from Sylhet to the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

[citation needed] Tests of tube wells in Sylhet District by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1997 found that about 27.6% contained more arsenic than the acceptable limit set by Bangladesh of 50 micrograms per liter, and 49.2% contained more arsenic than the World Health Organization standard of 10 micrograms per liter.

[48] There are about 331 registered restaurants in the city, but only 15% maintain sanitary facilities and 85% have unhygienic conditions that are unsafe for the public.

Notable players from Sylhet who have played for the Bangladesh national cricket team include Rajin Saleh,[53] Enamul Haque Jr,[54] Tapash Baisya,[55] and Alok Kapali.

[60] Work began in 2006 to upgrade the airport to international standards, including a new terminal building, a jetway, a taxiway, and expansion of the runway to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.

[64] In response to the increase in passenger and cargo demand at the airport, work began in 2020 on a new 34,919 square metres (375,860 sq ft) international passenger terminal building, as well as a cargo building, a control tower, parking areas, and a taxiway.