# Zakiganj Upazila

Zakiganj (Bengali: জকিগঞ্জ) is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh.

## History

There are a few theories behind the name of Zakiganj. The first is that is derived from Shah Zaki, a pir who established a khanqah on the banks of the Kushiyara River. A ganj, Perso-Bengali suffix meaning 'marketplace' or 'neighbourhood', was then set up around the khanqah. In memory of Shah Zaki, nearby places are named Pirerkhal and the village Pirerchok. Another theory is that it is named after a man named Ghulam Zaki Majumdar, whose brother Karim Majumdar is who Karimganj district is said to have been named after.
Zakiganj was established as a thana in 1947 and was previously a part of the greater Karimganj district. Along with Karimganj, Zakiganj was to be a part of the Dominion of India but this was prevented by a delegation led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In the aftermath of the Bangladesh War of Separation of 1971, mass graves were found in Atgram Bazar and Kaliganj Bazar. Zakiganj became an upazila on 1 August 1983.
A 17th century stone inscription was found in the Ghayebi Dighi Masjid in Barothakuri and it is now in display at the Bangladesh National Museum.

## Geography

Zakiganj is located at 24°52′40″N 92°22′20″E﻿ / ﻿24.8778°N 92.3722°E﻿ / 24.8778; 92.3722. It has 40,548 households and total area 265.68 km$^2$ (102.58 sq mi).
It is situated on the north bank of Kushiyara River, opposite Karimganj town of Assam, India.

## Demographics

Religions in Zakiganj Upazila (2022) :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Islam | Islam | 90.49% | 90.49% |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 9.50% | 9.50% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.01% | 0.01% |
According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Zakiganj Upazila had 40,548 households and a population of 237,137. 65,802 (27.75%) were under 10 years of age. Zakiganj had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 49.39%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1,021 females per 1,000 males. 20,806 (8.77%) lived in urban areas.
As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Zakiganj has a population of 174,038. Males constitute 50.55% of the population, and females 49.45%. This Upazila's eighteen up population is 85,935. Zakiganj has an average literacy rate of 30.8% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate. 81.47% of people of Zakiganj was Muslim, Hindu 18.47%, Buddhist, Christian and others 0.05%.

## Points of interest

* Derivation of Kushiyara River and Surma River from Barak River of IndiaDerivation of two river (Kushiyara River and Surma River) from Barak River of India
* Customs wharfage
* Hills of Atgram

## Administration

Zakiganj Upazila is divided into Zakiganj Municipality and nine union parishads: Barahal, Barathakuri, Birorsri, Kajalshar, Khaskanakpur, Kolachora, Manikpur, Sultanpur, and Zakiganj. The union parishads are subdivided into 108 mauzas and 278 villages.
Zakiganj Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 25 mahallas.

### Upazila Chairmen

List of chairmen :
| Number | Name | Term |
| 01 | Alhaj Shabbir Ahmad | 02 Alhaj Iqbal Ahmed Tapadar |
| 03 | Luqman Uddin Chowdhury | Current |
| Vice-chairman | Mawlana Muhammad Abdus Sabur | Current |

## Notable people

* Abdul Kahir Chowdhury, Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician
* Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali, Sufi scholar
* Akhlaq Choudhury, British High Court judge
* Hafiz Ahmed Mazumder, chairman of Pubali Bank Board of Directors and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society
* Mahmudur Rahman Majumdar, brigadier
* Mohammad Abdul Haque, bureaucrat
* Obaidul Haque, Islamic teacher and politician
* Salman Shah, mainstream film actor
* Ubaidul Haq, former khatib of Baitul Mukarram