History
Silk: why they call it the silk city
Records place silk production here as far back as the thirteenth century. The Dutch came for it, and the state factory followed in 1961.
Updated 11 Oct 2026109
- Era
- 13th century onwards
Records date the beginning of silk production in this region to the thirteenth century. It is the oldest thing Rajshahi is known for, and the reason the city is still called the silk city.
The trade drew European merchants. The Dutch built a silk factory beside the Padma in the eighteenth century - the building now called Boro Kuthi, which later became the first administrative building of Rajshahi University.
The government of Pakistan began silk production here in 1952, and the state-owned Rajshahi Silk Factory was founded in 1961.