Download - Delhi Heritage City

Medieval And Colonial Capital Cities Of DelhiDESCRIPTIONDaryaganjThe street leading southwards from the Delhi gate of the Red Fort to the Delhi gate of the city is a thoroughfareand bazaar street equal in importance to Chandni Chowk. This was originally known as Faiz Bazaar, and along itseastern side lies the locality known as Daryaganj (literally, ‘mart by the river’). In contrast to the rest ofShahjahanabad, this area has a grid pattern street layout that took shape in the early decades of the twentiethcentury. Many commercial and residential buildings of that era, and some from earlier, still survive, giving theprecint a distinctive character.Some key heritage structures in the area:o The Zinat‐ul‐masajid is a mosque that dates from 1707, and was built by Zinaunnissa begam, thedaughter of Emperor Aurangzeb. It is one of the major mosques of the city, and similar in style to theJama Masjid, with its red sandstone and white marble ornamentation, twin minarets and three stripeddomes.o The Shroff Eye Hospital, dating from 1926 is a well preserved colonial building.o Delhi Gate marks the southern limit of the street, and is one of the four surviving gates of the city.o Segments of the City Wall are in a well‐preserved state along the southern edge of Daryaganj, and displayparticular features such as a British‐era Martello Tower.Jama MasjidLocated south‐west of the Red fort, the main congregational mosque of the city stands 10m above the ground ona natural outcrop known as Bhojla Pahari and is by far the most impressive structure in Shahjahanabad. It hasthree gates facing the east, north and south accessed by a series of steps. The façade of the mosque is amagnificent eleven‐arched front, with the central arch the largest. The arches are of red sandstone supported onfour‐sided columns of white marble; each arch is inlaid with delicate tendrils of white marble, and has highlightsand medallions in black marble inlaid on either side of the arch. Above the arches tower three domes of whitemarble, with fine strips of black marble inlaid in between. At either end of the façade rise two tapering minaretsin red sandstone and white marble. The sehan—the main courtyard of the mosque is a vast area, paved with redsandstone with a large marble tank in the centre meant for ablutions. On three sides, enclosing the sehan, arearched cloisters pierced by ornate stone gates. The north‐western corner of the sehan houses a small lockedroom with relics of the Prophet. The floor is white marble, inlaid with a simple pattern that resembles a mosalla (aprayer carpet). Inside, the decoration is restrained, consisting almost entirely of inlay work—white marblearabesques are inlaid all across the ceiling and arches of red sandstone. The mihrab (the closed arch that indicatesthe direction of prayer) inside the main archway of the mosque is very intricately carved, all in white marble; so isthe fine minbar—the pulpit—in front of the façade.Besides being an important place of worship, Jama Masjid is a major landmark in physical, cultural, culinary andcommercial terms. It is at the junction of important streets – Matya Mahal to the south, Dariba Kalan to the north,and Chawri Bazar to the west. The northern and western sides of the square around the mosque are lined withshops, hotels, and visitor amenities such as parking.The steps on the eastern side, which provide a visual connection with the southern gate of the Red Fort, havesince Shahjahan’s time been a place for the sale of wares by hawkers selling goods ranging from articles of areligious nature to exotic country medicines. They take advantage of the stream of visitors to the mosque andthe shrines of Sarmad Shahid and Hare Bhare Shah, located halfway up the steps.31‐07‐2012 INTACH, Delhi Chapter 7