Archaeology researcher AKM Zakaria passes away

AKM Zakaria, a pioneer in archaeological and folklore research in Bangladesh, has passed away.

He breathed his last at Samorita Hospital in Dhaka on Wednesday morning at the age of 97.

The former education and cultural affairs secretary had been admitted to the hospital with lungs and kidney complications on Nov 26, his son Maruf Shamsher Zakaria told bdnews24.com.

“His condition was deteriorating over the past few days. He was put on life support on Tuesday. Doctors removed the support a little while before 12pm.”

For his research works, Zakaria, also a former chairman of Bangladesh Asiatic Society, received the Ekushey Padak, one of the highest civilian awards of the country, in 2015 and the Bangla Academy Award in 2006.

Born in Brahmanbaria in 1918, he started his professional career as a teacher at Bogra Azizul Haque College.

Zakaria took a government job in 1947 and initiated excavation of archaeological sites and research on them.

It was on his behest that the Sitakot Bihar, a seventh century Buddhist monastery in Dinajpur, was excavated.

 He also edited a number of folktales including ‘Gupichandrer Sanyas’ and ‘Gazikalu Champavati’.

 An English literature graduate from Dhaka University, Zakaria authored a number of books including Bangladesher Pratnasampad (The Archaeological Assets of Bangladesh).

 Maruf Shamsher Zakaria said his body would be taken to their ancestral home in Brahmanbaria after a namaz-e-janaza at Lake Circus playground in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon.

The archaeologist would be buried at their family graveyard in Brahmanbaria’s Dharikandi on Thursday.