The campus of the University of Dhaka and the surrounding neighbourhood — Shahbagh, Ramna, and the public park of Suhrawardy Udyan — form the cultural and intellectual heart of the city. The university itself was founded in 1921 and its colonial-era buildings, set in green grounds, are among the most architecturally coherent spaces in Dhaka.
Shahbagh, at the north edge of campus, is Dhaka's Bohemian quarter: bookshops, art supply stores, the National Museum, tea stalls, and street food. The Shahbagh flower market at dawn is one of the more remarkable sights in the city. The area has been the focus of every major political and cultural movement in Bangladesh since independence, and retains an energetic, argumentative quality.