Bishwa Ijtema Muslim Pilgrimage Photo Tour
Witness of the world’s most crowded train at least once in a lifetime!
Explore the world’s most crowded trains in Bangladesh during the Muslim Pilgrimage. The “Bishwa Ijtema” Muslim Pilgrimage is the World Muslim Congress held in Bangladesh every year in January since 1942. It is the 2nd largest Muslim congregation in the world after the holy Hajj, More than 5 million Muslims gathered at Bishaw Ijtema.Three days long activities of devotees praying, praying on the road, discussing Islam, bath, cooking, and others in the congress area. During the pilgrimage thousands of devotees travel by overcrowded trains, rooftops, engine side and all the trains are filled with devotees, it’s an unbelievable crowd in all trains. The tour also included the North-East and the Southern Region’s Diversity of Bangladesh.
Trip Date
Date: 09-22 January 2025
08-21 January 2026
07-20 January 2027
Duration: 14 Days 13 Nights
Extension: 2-5 Days Extension Available
Extension: Full Details
Tour Type & Group
Photography Tour & Workshop
Small Group
Maximum 8 Participants.
+ One Photographer Guide
+ One Tour Manager
Skill Level
Suitable for ALL Skill Levels,
Novice to Advanced or
Beginner to Professional Photographer.
Physical Fitness
Easy to Moderate,
Suitable For Any Mature Age Level.
Day 01: Arrival in Dhaka, Bangladesh
An Image Tours representative will greet you at the airport and then take you to the hotel for check-in and rest. This evening Introduce our Photo guide, Mr. Yousuf Tushar followed by a special welcome dinner & enjoy the slideshow presentation by Yousuf Tushar, interact with Tushar, and you will get more information and ideas which will be helpful for your journey. If you arrive early you may have a chance for street photography of your hotel’s surrounding areas or you can rest and get fully prepared for the tour. (L.D.).
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Day 02: Old Dhaka City & Coal Port
This Morning we will visit old Dhaka city, Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh, the World’s most population-density city but people are the most friendly so it’s easier for you to capture people’s photos. Shooting on People & their costume, rickshaws (Three-wheeler bicycle) and old Dhaka city street. Afternoon we will enter the riverside coal port where every day more than 3000 laborers come to unload black coals, bricks and sand carry on their heads from lighter vessels. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Rickshaws , People, Streets Photography and Coal Port.
Day 03: Dhaka Muslim Congress
“Bishwa Ijtema” the Muslim Pilgrimage, the World Muslim Congress held in Bangladesh every year in January since 1942. It is the 2nd largest Muslim congregation in the world after the holy Hajj, More than 5 million Muslims gathered at Bishaw Ijtema. Three days long activities of devotees praying, discussing on Islam, bath, cooking, and others in the congress area. On the first day, thousands of Muslim devotees started gathering at the Congress venue. At this time all the side streets and highways are filled to the brim with Muslims and hundreds of Muslims stand on the highway for pray. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Pray on the road, overcrowded train & devotees activities.
Day 04: Brick Factories
Around 300 brick fields surround Dhaka city, where brick laborers make brick by hand in traditional processes. Clay to red brick-making process using the mold, you will explore every step of brick-making. After making raw bricks by hand stack them in rows to dry in the sun, after drying in the sun raw bricks are carried by workers on head to the brick kiln by a line for burning. You will also capture portraits of workers with red dust covering their faces, brick laborers living conditions in small slums around the brick field. Next, we will visit local train station and river port. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Brick making by hand, Red bricks carry by the head.
Day 05: Muslim Congress Final Pray
The final day and final pray day are the most exciting for photography. On this day from the early morning thousands of Muslims towards the congress area by overcrowded trains, buses & boats. All around the congress area, on the train lines and on the highway roads Muslims sit and stand for the final pray. After the final pray Muslims return home by overcrowded trains, buses, boats, risky rides to the roof of the trains, buses, boats, and other transport End of the day you have free time for shopping at the market near the hotel. Special Farewell Dinner tonight, spectacular views over the city. (B.L.D)
Photoshoot: Final Pray and Overcrowded Trains.
Day 06: Batik Village & Rice Drying
In the morning we will drive to the northeast region on the way you will explore the largest tie-dying fabric center in all of Bangladesh, a place where workers dye fabrics by hand and spread them on the ground or on racks to dry in the baking sun. This riot of colour changes every day and we will spend some time creating images of the workers of the cloth while exploring lines and composition in photography. You will explore unconventional landscapes, where the convergence of human perseverance and atmospheric elements reveals the extraordinary beauty hidden within the ordinary. Continuing our visual odyssey, we delve into the captivating world of rice factories. Amidst the rhythmic symphony of bustling workers, our cameras artfully frame the choreography of labor, capturing the intricate processes that transform rice from field to table. The lines of rice paddies stretch their lush green hues, a testament to nature’s bounty.(Overnight in the Northeast city. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Batik Village and Rice processing in sundry.
Day 07: Stone Mine at Northeast Region
In the morning drive to the stone mine area, The stone mine is located at the foot of the beautiful Meghalaya Hills in the northeastern part of Bangladesh. It is known for its lush green hills, rolling tea gardens, and a mosaic of stones and rocks. Around 15000 stone laborers (men, women & children) are engaged with stone searching, collecting and crushing in this area. You will enjoy people searching and collecting stones by local traditional boats, winnowing stones, and crushing stones by hand. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Stone Mine area.
Day 08: Garbage Field and Village life
After breakfast check out of the hotel and Drive through Dhaka City, on the way we will enter the enchanting realm of a dump yard. Here the ethereal blend of morning fog and swirling smoke of garbage fires creates a dramatic and evocative setting, offering photographers a unique opportunity to create visually striking and powerful compositions. You will explore unconventional landscapes, where the convergence of human perseverance and atmospheric elements reveals the extraordinary beauty hidden within the ordinary. Next, we will visit village life . (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Garbage field and Village life.
Day 09: Asia’s Largest Shipyard
In the morning photo shoot on the old Dhaka city riverside, you will capture hundreds of people crossing river buses small local boats and riverside markets and activities. Next, we will enter the Shipyard, a slum, and home to the largest shipyard in Asia. A labyrinth-like city in which giant skeletons of old ships provide work for around 15,000 people, with the task of dismantling ships, and creating new boats with the recovered parts. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Riverside life, Country boats Shipyard; ship making, dismantling & repair.
Day 10: Dhaka-South City
After breakfast check out the hotel and drive through to the south city. After arrival south city we will enter to the biggest aluminum factories zone of Bangladesh where men, women and children are making aluminum pots by traditional process (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Aluminum factories.
Day 11: Fish Port and World’s Longest Sea beach
Early in the morning, we will explore the country’s largest marine fish port and wholesale fish market. Every morning in this port is festive, where you will capture the enchanting scenes on camera. Fishermen, with weathered hands and unwavering determination unload fish from the boats, with meticulous attention they repair their fishing nets and dry nets in the sun. We will then drive to the South Bay, where the world’s longest sea beach stretches out in all its splendor. Here, we are immersed in a tapestry of fishing activities and the innocent joy of children at play. The rhythmic dance of fishermen casting their nets against the backdrop of crashing waves becomes a visual symphony. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Fishing port and the world’s longest sea beach.
Day 12: South Bay World’s Longest Sea Beach
Today we will drive to the Moheskhali sea beach where Hundreds of colorful moon-shaped fishing boats line the shore, fishermen pulling fishing nets full of fish out of the sea, making fishing boats, silhouettes on fishermen, their nets stretching gracefully across the water’s edge, become ethereal forms against the vibrant hues of the setting sun. These images, infused with a sense of serenity and reverence, evoke the timeless connection between humanity and the sea. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Fishing activities, moon-shaped boats, sunset.
Day 13: Dry fish village
In the morning we will turn our lens to the largest dry fish village in the country, where around 30,000 workers, with two-thirds women, work in 1,040 dried fish processing units and most of them work on a daily wage basis. The activities of their drying process, the arrangement of dried fish on the rows of bamboo, children playing under the decorated dry fish, fish eyes and human eyes merge together all together to create a wonderful and charming atmosphere. Next back to the hotel, breakfast and rest. Afternoon we will take the local flight to Dhaka. After arriving Dhaka street photography in the central city. (B.L.D.)
Photoshoot: Dry Fish Village and Street photosgraphy.
Day 14: Chicken Market- Departure
EEarly Morning Explore the chicken market. In this market poultry vendors display live chickens in pyramid-shaped baskets made of twine so that customers can buy the chicken of their choice. After breakfast prepare to check out the hotel. According to your individual Flight departure time, we will drop you at the airport and bid a fond farewell. We hope your unforgettable memories call you again to this land and show up your Bangladesh’s great images.(B.)
Photoshoot: Chicken Market.
Learn post-processing like a pro
We know what your images need
Bring the touch of perfection to your digital images
Our photography expeditions are not only a simple photo trip it’s a photography workshop. Whether you are a beginner, keen amateur or professional photographer we want you to get the best possible pictures on every our tour. Each of our participants will get the right infield guidance from understanding all camera settings, creating outstanding compositions, perfect exposer on the different light conditions, developing a personal style to finalizing ideas in image editing software.
We also put emphasis on Image Post-Processing which is extremely important nowadays. We will hold post-processing panels where we will teach you the workflows in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and some additional plug-ins we use to make your pictures stand well apart from the rest. We will try to allow enough time for you to post-process your pictures while on the tour, and hopefully you will go home with your prime shots ready for the showcase.
You will learn how to
Included in the Cost
Not Included in the Cost
Recommended Gear and Other Information
Yousuf Tushar EFIAP, Tour Leader
Tushar is recognized as one of the leading freelance documentary photographers based in Bangladesh. As well as he is a Travel & Art photographer, writer, instructor, organizer, and judge of National & international photography competitions. He has years of experience guiding photo tours & workshops. His wide & long-time experience in Travel photography, Organizing, teaching, and prestigious international award-winning made him one of the best photographers in Bangladesh. He has excellent knowledge about the perfect places to capture a photo of every location in Bangladesh. He loves to help with hands-on experience in a Creative learning environment while out in the field, and he absolutely loves leading photo tours! Since 2000 he has been working full-time professional photographer, he has traveled to many countries as a travel photographer. His works have been published in Times UK, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Forbes magazine, BBC, National Geographic, Daily Mail, Sunday Post, Express UK, The Sun, The Atlantic, USA Today, and renowned international photo agencies. His photographs were exhibited in different international photo exhibitions in Asia, Europe & USA. He has owned more than a hundred National & International prestigious photographic awards including HPA-UNESCO china, Emirates photo contest, Asahi Shimbun Japan, United Nations IYC Singapore, People & Planet Australia, PX3 Paris, CBRE Urban photographer of the year, Link Lady, SIENA International, A Photo Reporter, New York-Manhattan, celebrating Life Bangladesh and numerous FIAP & PSA patronage Award. Presently he is the Secretary-General & FIAP Liaison officer of the Bangladesh Photographic Society. More Details about him
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Related Images of this trip
Gallery | Muslim Pilgrimage Photo Tour & Workshop
