Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned what is still Delhi’s greatest mosque.
He was also responsible for Agra’s Taj Mahal.
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In the context of the Indian subcontinent’s human history, what we now call “Old Delhi” is not very old.
The original walled city was meticulously planned; its foundation stone was laid in 1639.
Then named Shahjahanabad, it was the result of Emperor Shah Jahan’s decision to shift the Mughal Empire’s capital city, from Agra.
What is still Old Delhi’s most imposing structure was built between 1650 and 1656; at that time Jama Masjid was the subcontinent’s largest mosque.
In 2024 it remains one of India’s largest mosques – probably, its second biggest.
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Originally, in the 17th century CE, what is now known as “Old Delhi” was Delhi – a walled, Mughal city.
Now, it is no longer walled, and occupies only a minute proportion of Delhi’s mushrooming metropolis.
As it happens, I have experienced a number of the world’s megacities. (metropolises of more than ten million humans)
In 2024, Old Delhi’s 300,000+ residents probably comprise circa one percent of Delhi’s population.
Various lists of the world’s megacities offer sometimes-ludicrously-divergent rankings and alleged population figures, but most agree that Delhi’s metropolis now has many more human residents than does the entire Australian nation.
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