- at Delhi's "world-revealing" mosque of congregation on a Friday, to hear the sermon (khutba) recited in his name built by
Shah Jahan, 1656.
Delhi Sultanate era and beginning of the Mughal era The site of
Shahjahanabad is north of earlier settlements of Delhi. Its southern part overlaps some of the area that was settled by the
Tughlaqs in the 14th century when it was the seat of
Delhi Sultanate. The sultanates ruled from
Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the
Mughal dynasty. The five dynasties were the
Mamluk dynasty (1206–90), the
Khalji dynasty (1290–1320), the
Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414), the
Sayyid dynasty (1414–51) and
Lodi dynasty (1451–1526). For a period from 1538/1540 until 1555, the Mughals lost control over their empire under
Humayun, and the
Sur dynasty ruled parts of India until the Mughals retook control of India, lastly defeating them and finally establishing control and stability of their empire.
Mughal era Delhi remained an important place for the Mughals, who built palaces and forts. Most importantly,
Shah Jahan ordered his famous chief architect
Ustad Ahmad Lahori to build the walled city between 1638 and 1649, containing the
Lal Qila and the
Chandni Chowk. Delhi was one of the original twelve
subahs (imperial Mughal provinces), renamed Shahjahanabad in 1648, bordering
Awadh, Agra,
Ajmer,
Multan and
Lahore subahs.
Daryaganj had the original
cantonment of Delhi, after 1803, where a native regiment of Delhi
garrison was stationed, which was later shifted to Ridge area. East of Daryaganj was Raj ghat Gate of the walled city, opening at
Raj Ghat on
Yamuna River. The first wholesale market of Old Delhi opened as the hardware market in
Chawri Bazaar in 1840, the next wholesale market was that of dry fruits, spices and herbs at
Khari Baoli, opening in 1850. The
Phool Mandi (Flower Market) of Daryaganj was established in 1869, and even today, despite serving a small geographical area, it is of great importance due to dense population. of
Red Fort from
Chandni Chowk.
Colonial era After the fall of the
Mughal Empire post
1857 revolt, the
British Raj shifted the capital of British controlled territories in India to a less volatile city,
Calcutta in
Bengal, where it remained until 1911. After the announcement of the change, the British developed
Lutyens' Delhi (in modern
New Delhi) just south-west of Shahjahanabad. At this point, the older city started being called
Old Delhi, as New Delhi became the seat of a national government. It was formally inaugurated as such in 1931.
1876 description In 1876, Carr Stephen described the city as follows: The
clock tower no longer exists, although the location is still called Ghantaghar. The sarai of Jahanara Begum has been replaced by the
city town hall. The kotwal is now adjacent to
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. The
Old Delhi Railway Station, was designed in the architectural style of the nearby Red Fort, which was constructed during the administration of the British colonial government and opened in 1903. The British also built the
State Bank of India branch building in Chandni Chowk as well as the
St. James' Church, the
St. Stephen's Church and
Old ''St. Stephen's College'' now one of the important offices of the
Election Commission of India of
Delhi near Kashmere Gate, leaving an influence of European architecture and
Indo-Saracenic architecture as well in the historical place. built 1903 == Demographics ==