Sylhet Division (Bengali: সিলেট বিভাগ, pronounced Sylhet Bibag), also known as Greater Sylhet or Sylhet region,^[2] is the northeastern division of Bangladesh, named after its main city, Sylhet. It is bounded by Meghalaya State of India on the north, Tripura State on the south, Assam State of India on the east and Dhaka and Chittagong divisions on the west. The region is home to many Bangladeshi expatriates living Britain, which the economy has expanded by foreign remittances

The 14th century marked the beginning of Islamic influence in Sylhet.^[3] A Muslim saint, Hazrat Shah Jalal, arrived in Sylhet in 1303 from Mecca via Delhi and Dhaka with the instructions for aiding Sikhander Khan Ghazi in defeating Govinda of Gaur.^[4] Sikhander Khan Ghazi was the direct nephew of sultan Firoz Shah of Delhi. Under the spiritual leadership of Hazrat Shah Jalal and his 360 companions the local pagans were brought under control and they began to spread Islam. He died in Sylhet in or around the year 1350. His shrine is located inside the parameter of the mosque complex known as Dargah-e-Shah Jalal. Even today Shah Jalal remains revered; visitors arrive from all over Bangladesh and beyond to pay homage.^[4] Saints such as Shah Jalal or even, Shah Paran were responsible for the conversion of most of the populace from native religion of Hinduism or Buddhism to Islam. Shortly thereafter, Sylhet became a centre of Islam in Bengal. In the official documents and historical papers, Sylhet was often referred to as Jalalbad during the era of the Muslim rule.^[5][6]