The ''Chhatta Chowk'' () is a long passage way that contains a bazaar, or market, located in the

Red Fort The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shif ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

, India. The ''Chhatta Chowk'' is located behind the Lahori Gate and is set within an arched passage. It is lined with two-story flats that contain 32 arched bays serving as shops. During

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugh ...

's reign, the ''Chhatta Chowk'' was very exclusive, specializing in trading goods such as silk, brocades, velvet, gold, silverware, jewellery, gems and precious stones, catering to the luxurious tastes of imperial households. Its history dates back to the 17th century. It was inspired by another covered bazaar in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, built by leading noble

Ali Mardan Khan Ali Mardan Khan ( fa, ; died April 1657) was a Kurdish military leader and administrator, serving under the Safavid kings Shah Abbas I and Shah Safi, and later the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan. He was the son of Ganj Ali Khan. After surrende ...

, which Shah Jahan had seen in 1646; the emperor subsequently instructed that the plans of the bazaar be sent to Makramat Khan, supervisor of the fort's construction, to build a similar bazaar in the fort. It is a unique example of Mughal architecture in which bazaars were typically open-air. As such, the bazaar was formerly known as ''Bazaar-i-Musaqaf'', with a ''saqaf'', meaning "roof". The arches were walled up in the 20th century and the passage thus lost its original appearance. The ceiling was also originally painted in colours. There are plans to restore the bazaar.

References

External links

* {{cite news , last=TNN , date=2003-08-31 , title=Chatta Bazar, a sore point in Red Fort , url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-08-31/delhi/27185152_1_asi-plans-red-fort-shops , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214154707/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-08-31/delhi/27185152_1_asi-plans-red-fort-shops , url-status=dead , archive-date=2013-12-14 , newspaper=

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...

, access-date=2014-02-08 Red Fort Retail markets in Delhi