Space formation and transformation of the urban tissue of Old Delhi, India

Abstract

This paper discusses the space formation and transformation of the urban tissue of Old Delhi. Main focuses are the street system, neighbourhood blocks, the distribution of public, religious and commercial facilities and the distribution of religious communities. Based on field research within the south-western area of Jama Masjid, the authors found a hierarchy in the street system. There are 1. Major roads (Bazaar), 2. Smaller public streets, 3. Narrow lanes within residential blocks, and 4. Dead-end alleys. Narrow lanes and dead-end lanes within residential blocks are called kuchas, galis or katras. Each kucha, gali or katra has its own name and forms a neighbourhood block. In some places a larger neighbourhood quarter called a mohalla is formed by neighbouring kuchas, galis and katras. Religious facilities for Muslims (mosques, dargahs) and Hindus (mandirs, shrines) are distributed separately. This means that Muslim and Hindu communities were also separated. However, the distribution of religious facilities shown in the 19 th century maps of Shahjahanabad indicates that these communities were previously mixed to a greater extent than they are today.