Shahjahanabad City Wall

CITY WALL OF SHAHJAHANABAD (DARYAGANJ)- Shahjahan's original city wall built of stone and mud mortar in A.D. 1650, was destroyed by heavy rains. Construction of new solid masonry wall took seven years to complete at a cost of four lakhs. It was interspersed by twenty-seven towers, each about 9.14m high. At various points of the city wall have massive gates and smaller posterns. In A.D. 1803, after the occupation of Delhi by the British troops, the city walls were considerably improved and strengthened. The original round towers were enlarged and altered into angular bastions, guns were mounted on them for security of the city. All round the city wall, except towards the river side, a 6m wide ditch was constructed. New wall on the river side was added in A.D. 1811 by Emperor Akbar Shah. Large portion of the wall and some gates suffered much damage during the First War of Independence inA.D. 1857. Out of fourteen gates of the city, only five have survived. Some portion of the city wall can be seen in Kashmiri Gate area and south of Daryaganj.

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