Entrance to the Red Fort today is by the Lahore Gate, facing Chandni Chowk.

Old Delhi – meaning the former Walled City that sits by the banks of the River Jamuna, was once Shajahanabad, having been established by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639, when he moved the capital of the Mughal Empire here from Agra.

The city became known as Old Delhi after New Delhi – or Lutyens’ Delhi – was built in the 1930s. Here, in the walls of the Old City, is the beating heart of Delhi itself: the Delhi of the Mughals.

Delhi in 1911, with the walled city, or Shahjahanabad in red. Note that the walls of the city still stand in this map. Shahjahanabad is ironically marked here as “Modern Delhi.” New Delhi would later be built in the area marked out as “Firozabad or Ancient Delhi” [Public Domain.]

We begin our ramble at the Jami Masjid, or Friday Mosque of the City. This majestic structure too, was built by Emperor Shah Jahan and completed in 1656. Between then till the end of the Mughal Empire, this was the Royal Mosque of the Mughals.

Once known as Masjid-i-jahan-numa, or “Mosque with a view of the World” in Persian, the mosque is certainly the largest in Delhi and one of India’s largest mosques.

Entrance to the Jami Masjid, through Gate No. 1.

The startling and beautiful (Mughal) symmetry of the Jami Masjid.

Close-up of the arcades.

Close-up of the entrance, noting the Persian-style decorative elements on the sides of the entrance alcove.

From the mosque looking out into the courtyard.

View through the main structure, with its repeated archways.

Chandni Chowk

North of Jami Masjid runs Old Delhi’s main commercial thoroughfare – the historic Chandni Chowk, or “Square of Moonlight”, also a major bazaar.

Chandni Chowk runs right through the middle of Old Delhi, from the entrance to the Red Fort to the East to Fatehpuri Masjid to the West. Along the street lie many different places of worship, as well as historic havelis, or private residences.

Chandni Chowk was also the main processional thoroughfare in Old Delhi, down which the Mughal Emperors would march with their elephants and their Grand Imperial Retinue. The British would continue this tradition with King Edward VII and his consort proceeding down Chandni Chowk during the Delhi Durbar of 1903.

Today, unfortunately, many of the structures on Chandni Chowk are in urgent need of repair, though the Chowk itself, is still bursting with life and commercial activity and well worth a wander, if only to get a flavour of the city.

ES Pearey Lal Building, Chandni Chowk.

Allahabad Bank.

Central Baptist Church.

The Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib (1783) is a historic Sikh Temple. It marks the site where the 9th Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam.

Art deco architecture off the main thoroughfare.

A beautiful marble structure – possibly a haveli?

Gothic-style balconies of (possibly) a haveli.

Crumbling main street architecture.

Old Delhi Town Hall (1863).

Masjid Fatehpuri was built in 1650 by one of Shah Jahan’s wives, Fatehpuri Begum, who hailed from Fatehpuri Sikri. It sits at the western end of Chandni Chowk.

Around the corner sits St Stephen’s Church, built in 1862 in the Gothic style.

Red Fort (Lal Qila)

From Chandni Chowk, we enter the Red Fort through Lahore Gate. The Fort was constructed by Shah Jahan in 1639. It was the Royal Palace to his Capital City of Shahjahanabad, and remained the Royal Palace of the Mughals till the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah was ejected and exiled by the British in 1857.

The name of the Fort comes from the use of red sandstone in its fortifications. Its architecture was eclectic, incorporating Persian, Indian and European styles in the design. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is considered one of the finest examples of Mughal Architecture.

Much of the Fort was actually plundered and demolished in the aftermath of 1857. The British erected a large military garrison within the walls of the Fort, using the Fort as a military base. The buildings that remain today constitute about a third of what originally stood.

They are still beautiful and timeless reminders of Delhi’s great past.

Lahore Gate, Lal Qila.

Chhata Chowk, the bazaar at the Red Fort.

Naubat Khana (Drum Gate).

Detail of alcove, Drum Gate. Note the Mughal fascination with flora as a decorative element.

Diwan-i-am, the Public Audience Hall, with its many arches.

View laterally through the Diwan-i-am.

Detail of floral

The marble jharokha where the Mughal Emperor would give his audience. Note again, the extensive floral decoration.

The Mumtaz Mahal, which were the womens’ quarters.

The Diwan-i-khas (Hall of Private Audience) and the Khas Mahal (Emperor’s Apartments) behind it.

Marble Screen with the Scales of Justice – indicating the Mughal Emperor’s justice.

Detail of the floral decoration.

British-era military barracks in the Hayat Baksh Bagh (“Life Bestowing Gardens”). Much of the gardens were destroyed by the British and turned into a military garrison. 

One of the Sawon and Bhadon Pavilions in the Hayat Baksh Bagh.

The red sandstone Zafar Mahal was built in 1842, during the reign of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Lutyens’ style bungalow in the military garrison area.

One exits the Red Fort today by way of the Delhi Gate.

Backward Glance at the Red Fort.