Lal Kuan road is a busy commercial street that connects the equally busy Khari Baoli road and Hauz Qazi Chowk. Here I’ve taken the Lal Kuan area to be the area that lies between Lal Kuan road on the east and Garstin Bastion Road (yes, that GB Road) to the west, and Ajmeri Gate road to the south. Ajmeri Gate road leads from Ajmeri Gate, one of the main gates of the walled city, to Hauz Qazi Chowk.

General location of Lal Kuan area in comparison to popular Old Delhi locations

General sequence and locations of areas photographed. We can see that Lal Kuan road (1) is narrower than Chandni Chowk and Khari Baoli roads, but wider than the really narrow lanes of Old Delhi

Along Lal Kuan Road

The photo sequence is generally from north to south.

The intersection of Lal Kuan and Karta Bariyan roads

Continuing down Lal Kuan road

Excelsior Cinema near Hauz Qazi Chowk

One of Old Delhi’s many “Desi Deco” buildings

The 19th c Masjid Mubarak Begum mosque

Around the Lal Kuan area

Photos from the northern part of Lal Kuan area

Farsh Khana area

Photos from the more southerly parts of Lal Kuan area

Area next to Excelsior Cinema

A little bit of Desi Deco in Lal Kuan

The Inner Lane of the Outer Wall

In the decades after the British took Delhi over from the last Mughal ruler in 1857, they slowly dismantled the outer fortification wall of Shahjahanabad. In place of this wall came rows of buildings, residential and commercial, and a relatively wide road outside the line of the erstwhile wall. However there was also a lane running along the inner side of the wall, and this lane remained after buildings replaced the wall. This inner lane still runs for much of the edge of Old Delhi, and some interesting structures can be found along this lane, like the Desi Deco residence below.

Sculptural decorations on the deco residence

More buildings along the inner lane of the outer wall, including a few more deco buildings

Hauz Qazi Chowk

Around the buzy Hauz Qazi Chowk

The facade of a mosque entrance has been spared demolition

Ajmeri Gate and Ajmeri Gate road

Ajmeri Gate was one of the main gateways of Shahjahanabd

Building near Ajmeri Gate

Along Ajmeri Gate road

An electrical sub-station from the 1950s

Ghaziuddin’s Mosque and Madrassa

This madrassa and mosque was built by a Mughal courtier in the late-17th c.

Entrance to the complex

Side bastion

Kids on the field next to the madrassa, which is now a “board-affiliated” school

Facade facing the Inner courtyard

Mosque