The Shaheed Minar in Dhaka commemorates those killed on February 21 and 22, 1952 during the Bengali language movement. It stands near the University of Dhaka, beside Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The site is the focus of national events on February 21, which is also International Mother Language Day.
The sculptors Hamidur Rahman and Novera Ahmed designed it, and the infobox lists both as architects. A makeshift minar of 1952 was demolished within days, and a second one followed in 1954. The present monument was built from 1957 and inaugurated on February 21, 1963. Pakistani forces destroyed its columns in 1971, and it was rebuilt in 1972.
Half-circular columns, 46 feet (14 meters) tall, stand for a mother with her fallen sons, with a red sun behind. The floor is marble and was designed to show the moving shadows of the columns. Two statues of martyrs stand at the entrance. The infobox calls the style modern.
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