Work on the Red Fort commenced, establishing the principal political and ceremonial nucleus around which Shahjahanabad’s streets, markets, and neighborhoods were organized.
Shah Jahan ordered construction of the fortress-palace later known as the Red Fort (originally Qila-i-Mubarak), anchoring the planned capital city on the Yamuna’s edge.
Shahjahanabad (the walled city later known as Old Delhi) was officially established as the Mughal capital city, with the Red Fort as its focal point.
The Red Fort was completed, making it feasible for the Mughal court to operate from the new city and solidifying the fort as the centerpiece of Shahjahanabad’s urban plan.
Princess Jahanara Begum designed and established Chandni Chowk as Shahjahanabad’s principal ceremonial-commercial axis, famously incorporating a central water channel and reflecting pool into its streetscape.
Fatehpuri Begum (a wife of Shah Jahan) commissioned the Fatehpuri Mosque, helping define the western terminus of the Chandni Chowk corridor and strengthening neighborhood religious infrastructure within the new city.
Akbarabadi Mahal (a wife of Shah Jahan) built the Akbarabadi Mosque, one of several major mosques sponsored by elite Mughal women that contributed to the religious and civic landscape of the expanding capital.
Shah Jahan laid the foundation for the Jama Masjid (Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa), the imperial congregational mosque that became a key monument and public gathering space within Shahjahanabad.
Jama Masjid was completed and inaugurated, reinforcing Shahjahanabad’s status as an imperial capital through Friday congregational worship closely tied to Mughal sovereignty and urban life.
Shahjahanabad’s fortifications—originally earthworks—were rebuilt in red stone, reflecting a major investment in durable defensive architecture for the capital and its growing population.
By the mid-17th century, Shahjahanabad’s enclosure was articulated by a major gate system (commonly described as 14 principal gates), structuring movement, trade, and ceremonial processions between the city and its hinterland.
Aurangzeb added the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) inside the Red Fort complex, illustrating how successive Mughal rulers continued to adapt Shahjahanabad’s core ceremonial precinct to their own devotional and court needs.
Founding and urban development of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) (1639–1700)
