A few weeks ago we had the idea to visit Old Delhi, an idea which was rapidly turned down when the morning of, we learned that the district has been shut down due to a manifestation of 10 000 Muslims, protesting the demolition of a Mosque in South Delhi. Today, despite Dr. Nandy's apprehensions of us going alone and even offering for our supervisor to accommodate us, we finally felt that we were accustomed enough to daily Delhi life to make a visit to this walled city.
Upon exiting the metro at Chandni Chowk (chowk = town square) we were greeted with the chaos that inhabits what was once the greatest markets in all of India. Red Fort, or Lal Qila, which served as the capital of the Mughal empire stands majestically at one end of this thoroughfare.
mosque - where we were asked to leave just after we got in for the afternoon prayers. We spent the next half hour on the steps outside, taking in the sights and smells of the nearby markets, just so we could have a chance to hike up to the top of one of the towers for one of the best views of Delhi afterwards. En attendant patiemment assises sur les marches de l'entrée, on a vécu une expérience culturelle bien locale, étant sollicité pour prendre des photos avec des étrangers et communiquant en langage des signes avec d'autres.
Upon exiting the metro at Chandni Chowk (chowk = town square) we were greeted with the chaos that inhabits what was once the greatest markets in all of India. Red Fort, or Lal Qila, which served as the capital of the Mughal empire stands majestically at one end of this thoroughfare. After visiting the premises of the Red Fort complex, which had the capacity to house 3, 000 people in its heyday (now, more like 3, 000 tourists!).. we decided to have some lunch at Karim's - a generation-run restaurant which opened in 1913 and boasts that its founders, would feed the Mughal emperors of the day-where we tasted the best naans of our lives.
Next up - Jama Masjid, India's largest
mosque - where we were asked to leave just after we got in for the afternoon prayers. We spent the next half hour on the steps outside, taking in the sights and smells of the nearby markets, just so we could have a chance to hike up to the top of one of the towers for one of the best views of Delhi afterwards. En attendant patiemment assises sur les marches de l'entrée, on a vécu une expérience culturelle bien locale, étant sollicité pour prendre des photos avec des étrangers et communiquant en langage des signes avec d'autres.Afin de bien boucler la boucle, et question de rester fidèles a nos habitudes de marche, nous nous sommes rendues a pied au métro le plus près, traversant les marchés les plus inusités que l'on a vu jusqu'alors. Des marchands de pièces d'autos, aux marchands de papier et cartes de toutes sortes, aux articles de plomberie - essayer d'y comprendre la suite logique...
No comments:
Post a Comment