The University of Dhaka (ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়), also known as Dhaka University or simply DU), is the oldest university in modern Bangladesh. It was created in 1921 during the British Raj. It is important to the modern history of Bangladesh. After the Partition of India, the university was important to the progressive and democratic movements in Pakistan. Its students and teachers played a central role in the rise of Bengali nationalism and the independence of Bangladesh.