History
The history of Cox's Bazar begins in the Mughal period. On his way to Arakan , when the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja passed through the hilly terrain of the present day Cox's Bazar, he was attracted to the scenic and captivating beauty of the place. He commanded his forces to camp there. His retinue of one thousand palanquins halted there for some time. A place named Dulahazara, meaning "one thousand palanquins", still exists in the area. After the Mughals, the place came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese, followed by the Portuguese and then the British . The name Cox's Bazar/Bazaar derived from the name of a British East India Company officer, Captain Hiram Cox after he opened a market considering facilities of local people. Captain Cox was appointed as the Superintendent of Palonki (today's Cox's Bazar) outpost after Warren Hastings came as the Governor of Bengal following the British East India Company Act in 1773 . Captain Cox was specially mobilized to deal with a century long conflict between Arakan refugees & local Rakhains at Palonki. After January 1 , 1874 Cox's Bazar was declared as a district of the Bengal Province under the British Crown . After 1947 's Independence it remained as a part of East Pakistan . Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim, the first Chairman (after independence from the British) of Cox's Bazar municipality established the Tamarisk Forest along on the beach to draw tourist attention in this town and also to protect the beach from tide  

Why Cox's Bazar
Miles of golden sands, towering cliffs, surfing waves, rare conch shells, colorful pagodas, Buddhist temples and tribes, delightful sea foods - this is Cox's bazar, the tourist capital of Bangladesh. Having the world's longest (120 km.) beach slopping gently down to the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, Cox's Bazar is one of the most attractive tourist spots in the country. Located at a distance of 152 km. south of Chittagong, the leading seaport of Bangladesh, Cox's Bazar is connected both by air and road from Dhaka and Chittagong. Adjacent to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, runs south down the coastline to the Myanmar border. The population of the region is about one million and is mix of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. The culture here is less overtly Muslim, or even Hindu for that matter, having a more Burmese-Buddhist atmosphere. Visit to Cox's Bazar is for nothing but to enjoy holiday. Lots of attractions are there. Picnic spot at Himchari, Teknaf-southern most tip of Bangladesh - and nearby islands of Sonadia and Moheskhali are memorable experiences of a lifetime. The Cox's Bazar Holiday Complex of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the National Tourism Organization is an ideal tourist resort having a number of facilities for the visitors. For Bangladeshis it doesn't get much better than Cox's Bazar, the country's most popular beach resort. Sort of a Cancun of the east, it's choc-a-bloc with massive cement hotels and gaudy over-development catering largely to the country's elite. As a foreigner it likely won't compare to other beach vacations you may have taken, but it's still interesting to see how the Bangladeshis live it up. The beach is crowded, especially near the Hotel Motel Zone, a large cluster of more upmarket hotels. Expect lots of attention, and expect to stay fully clothed. 30km south is Inani Beach, the world's longest and widest with over 100 miles of unbroken sand. Things should be quieter here, but still expect to draw some attention. The evergreen and semi-evergreen tropical rainforest bordering this stretch of beach is still some of the best in the country. Beaches The main reason to come to Cox's Bazar is to visit the beach. This is the longest and shark-free beach in the world. Though a tourist town, Cox's Bazar has very little directed specifically to tourists. The Handicraft emporium at karupannya Cottage Industries at Motel road has a variety of excellent handicrafts. Saris, Lungis, Shawls and Kurtas are beautiful to buy and collect. The colorful Buddhist Water Festival takes place from 13th to 18th April every year. To attract the tourist , The Government , in 1994, began construction of a road along the beach from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf. As of late 1995 it had reached beyond Himchari Beach. The evergreen and semi-evergreen tropical rainforest bordering this stretch of beach is still some of the best in the country. Inani Beach is considered the worlds longest and widest beach. It’s 180m at the narrowest at high tide and 300m at low tide. Inani is some 30 km south of Cox's Bazar. There is a beach road from cox’s bazaar to teknaf along side with the beach know as marine drive. It is really fantastic and thrilling to ride by this road while enjoying the beauty of the sea in one side and hilly tracks in other side. Himchari is the nicest beach near Cox's Bazar. Malumghat, an hour north of Cox's Bazar, is well known for the Baptist missionary hospital. Ramu, 14 km east of Cox's bazar, is noted for her Buddhist Khyangs.The interesting Burmese Bara Khyang, 50 km north-east in the Hill Tracts, in Lama Bazar has the country's largest bronze statue of Buddha.

Islands in Cox's Bazar
Sonadia, 4.63 sq.km, is noted for its bird life act as a temporary sanctuary for migrating birds-petrels, geese, curlews, snipe, shanks, lapwings, ducks and the waterfowl. Maheskhali, some 6 km north-west of Cox's Bazar, is a nice place for a daily trip. People are poor but friendly. St Martin's island is 8 km south-west of Badarmokam and 48 km from Teknaf.It's the only coral island in the country with no vehicles, one singal road, and genuinely friendly people. Named after a British provincial governor, and called Narikel Jinjira by the locals, the dumbell-shaped St.Martin's has an area of about 8 sq.km, which reduces to 5 sq.km. during the high tide and becomes four islnads-Jinjira, Galachira, Ciradia and Uttarpara.

Teknaf
Teknaf, a small town, is on the southern tip of the narrow strip of land adjoining Myanmar, 92 km south of Cox's bazar. The Naaf River forms the Bangladesh-Myanmar border here. The main reason to come to Teknaf is to visit St. martin's Island. Other possibilities include a walk west to Teknaf Beach and a ride south to Badar mokam at the tip of the peninsula. Particularly nice at sunset, the white sandy beach at Badar mokam is deserted.