Old towns of South Asia outlines a list of notable old towns in South Asia. The old towns range from the ancient and Mughal-era quarters to colonial-era districts. Many of them are characterised by narrow alleys lined with various old buildings and markets. Some alleys are wide enough for cars, others are not.
List
[edit]Bangladesh
[edit]India
[edit]- 2 Historic City of Ahmedabad — The old town founded by Ahmed Shah I of Gujarat and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the area has become extremely crowded and dilapidated in the last decades, it still serves as the symbolic heart of larger Ahmedabad.
- 3 Temple Town (Bhubaneswar) — Home to many temples, including Lingaraja, Nilakantha, Rajarani and Muktesvara temples, standing alongside residential areas. The congested area with narrow roads and poor infrastructure is in contrast to the rest of the city with careful urban planning.
- 4 North Chennai
- 5 Old Delhi (पुरानी दिल्ली Purānī Dillī) — With old buildings and markets, Old Delhi will take you to the era of Mughal emperors. Notable buildings and markets include Chandni Chowk, the Jama Masjid, and the Red Fort.
- Fatehpur Sikri — this city was built at the command of the Mughal emperor, Akbar Khan but occupied for only 14 years and constitutes a coherent set of outstanding 16th-century buildings
- 6 Old Goa
- 7 Old City (Hyderabad) — The original city of Nizams, centred around the Charminar.
- 8 Jaisalmer (जैसलमेर Jaisalmer)
- 9 Jodhpur (जोधपुर Jodhpur)
- 10 Old Kochi
- 11 North Kolkata (উত্তর কলকাতা Uttar Kalkātā) — The oldest part of the city, characterised by narrow alleys, with various old buildings and markets, with a lucky few predating the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Notable buildings and markets include Barabazar and Sovabazar Rajbari.
- 12 Fort and Colaba (Mumbai) — The colonial-era districts of Mumbai will take you to the British era. It is home to Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings of the city.
- 13 Udaipur
- 14 Varanasi (वाराणसी Vārāṇasī) — One of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in India, characterized by narrow buildings, with various old buildings, markets and temples. It will take you to the stereotypical urban life of India, as portrayed by British authors.