Explore the Magic of Old Delhi with Dhruv Rathee in India - DW Travel

I'm here in one of the oldest areas of Delhi, known for its narrow lanes, busy markets, authentic street food and historical monuments. A hustling-bustling area packed with people and rickshaws, full of interesting sights, sounds and smells, and rich in culture and history. This is also the place where I grew up in, nearby Delhi. Today, I'll show you and my wife Yuli, why this part of the city is a must-visit as a tourist. Welcome to Old Delhi, or as they say here, Namaskar. You probably know about New Delhi, the capital of India, which was designed by the British. But there is another area in Delhi which is absolutely worth visiting, which is called Old Delhi, and it is the most historic part of Delhi and its symbolic heart. Old Delhi was founded more than 300 years ago by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the same person who built the famous Taj Mahal for his beloved wife. Back then, the city was called Shah Jahanabad. It was the capital of the Mughal Empire after being built in the year 1648. It remained under its influence until 1857 when the British took over. Nowadays, whether you're looking for shops, culture, mosques or temples, or anything else you could possibly imagine, this incredible neighborhood has it all. Most places inside Old Delhi are at walking distances. Let's start from one of the most majestic buildings here, the Red Fort. This historic building was the main place of residence of Mughal emperors. Locals call it the Lal Qila. The Red Fort has two gates, the Delhi Gate and the Lahore Gate. The Lahore Gate behind me is the official entrance from where you can get in. It's quite easy to buy tickets online, so that's what we did. For foreigners, they cost around €6.50 per person. The fort's entrance through Lahore Gate leads you to Chhatta Chowk, a long, arched, beautiful passageway that used to house the most exclusive royal tailors and merchants. It's now a market area known as Meena Bazaar, with many shops selling souvenirs and handcrafts. After the Meena Bazaar there, you'll come straight to the Naubat Khana. This is where the royal musicians used to sit and play drums whenever the emperor used to come inside. And if you look straight from the Naubat Khana, you'll see the Diwane Aam. The word Aam means common. This Diwane Aam was the place where the emperor used to meet common people and discuss their problems. Currently, it's under construction, so we can't go inside, but there is a throne inside also where the emperor used to sit. And this building behind me is the Diwane Khas. The word Khas means special. So the emperor used to meet all the special guests, visitors and courtiers in this place. The fort was plundered of its artwork and jewels during Nadir Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1739, and once again by the British after the Indian Rebellion. So sadly, we can only imagine how stunning it must have looked. In 2007, the Red Fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So hopefully, efforts will be put into conserving this important monument. The Red Fort does not only have historical importance, but every year on the 15th of August on India's Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India hoists the Indian flag on top of here. If you're into museums, the Red Fort has four of them. Just make sure you select the ticket which includes the museums. There are two kinds of rickshaws here. One is a mechanical one and the other is motorized. The advantage of taking a rickshaw is that you don't need to worry about getting run over and you can lay back and observe. Almost impossible to move here. I could never drive or even ride a bicycle here. But these drivers here are experts at navigating you through the chaos. It's very busy here, very chaotic and also very exotic because you won't find anything like this anywhere else in the world. There are different markets in this Chandni Chowk area. Right now, we are passing through the cycle market. So it's full of cycle shops behind me. Chandni Chowk Road actually did not always look how it looks today and underwent a redevelopment very recently to make it a vehicle-free zone. Now you'd be very surprised to know that this place actually used to be even more crowded. It's only recently that the government redeveloped this whole area and motor vehicles and cars are not allowed here anymore. But two years ago or three years ago, I think, even cars were allowed and this place used to get really, really stuffy. Pulling the rickshaw in the heat and with two people sitting at the back, it's not an easy job. In the middle of these busy streets, see if you can spot this lane, the Nine House Haveli. Nine beautiful houses, more than 300 years old, decorated nicely and at the end of them, there is a Jain temple also. Indian food is world famous for its rich aromatic flavors and the secret to its deliciousness are the spices. This is the place where all those spices come from, the Old Delhi Spice Market. So this here is the spice market of Chandni Chowk. You can actually feel it when being here, that there's so much dust coming from the spices that it reaches all the way up to my nose and throat. I'm gonna wear a mask here to protect my nose, otherwise I'll be constantly coughing throughout. This spice market is actually the biggest spice market in Asia and if you come here, don't miss this rooftop. It's called the Gadudiya Haveli and it offers some amazing views of the Chandni Chowk also. Just make sure not to lean over the balcony here. Speaking of food, if you're looking for something to eat, you have come to the right place. Old Delhi and Chandni Chowk are extremely well known all across the country as a food haven. Street foods, snacks, chaat, halwais are there in almost every corner here. You will never run out of options to eat but we'll show you some eateries with a long culinary history. This popular street is known as the Parathe Wali Gali. A paratha is a fried and stuffed Indian bread. There is a popular eatery here which is being run by the same family for six generations. Now there's many options to eat here in Chandni Chowk but the most famous one is the Parathe Wali Gali and specifically this restaurant is extremely old. It's from 1875 and the most famous Parathe Wali place where you can eat. There's more than 40 different parathas here. Very, very tasty. Old Delhi is a beautiful example of India's cultural diversity. You can find Hindu temples, Jain temples, Sikh gurudwaras, mosques and even churches here in all very close proximity. Jama Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India. It's built from red sandstone and white marble with the minaret towers and protruding tombs that can be seen from far away. The design is an impressive example of Mughal style of architecture and the most interesting thing is that you can actually go on one of the towers and have a fantastic view of the Old Delhi area. Let's go inside. As with all religious places, be aware of the dress code and keep in mind that no visitors are allowed during prayer hours between noon to 1.30 pm. Since I was wearing shorts, I had to wear this at the bottom. From the Jama Masjid, you can see the temple and the red fort also. This is the way up to the minaret, the tower. I need to put this up so I don't fall. Very dark and narrow. The view from up here is amazing but it does get a bit crowded. The space here is not that big for a lot of people to stand. Hope you enjoyed this video. Do subscribe to the DW Travel Channel for more such videos. See you next time.