New Delhi is also part of the ‘Golden Triangle’, a world-renowned tourist itenary comprising of Agra (Taj Mahal), Jaipur & New Delhi itself.
New Delhi has a vast collection of Muslim monuments like ‘Jama Masjid’, ‘Fatehpuri Masjid’, ‘Red Fort’, ‘Qutub Minar’, ‘Humayun’s Tomb’, ‘Salimgarh Fort’, ‘Purana Qila’, ‘Tughlaqabad Fort’, ‘Safdarjung’s Tomb’ and ‘Nizamuddin Dargah’ etc. Seeing these historical monuments one could realize the architectural competencies and cultural impact of the Muslims in this part of the world.
In the central part of the city named ‘Old Delhi’, which is predominantly populated by Muslims, you find treasures of authentic and extinct Mughlai food dishes and unique collections of famous non vegetarian dishes from all parts of the country. ‘Kareem’, ‘Baluchi’, ‘Moti Mahal’, ‘Darbar’ are few of the world famous restaurants here. Maurya Sheraton a five star hotel here boasts of the possession of the best Indian Speciality Restaurant in entire Asia named ‘Dum Pukht’. Most of the restaurants procure meat from Muslim suppliers ensuring it to be Halal. However, one should be aware that the concept of getting a restaurant certified Halal by an authority is not yet widespread in India. It is always good to check out the Halalness of the food before you indulge in the great food that is on offer.
It is very easy to locate mosques in Delhi; there are mosques at all the prominent locations of the city except for a few newly developed localities like Gurgaon.
New Delhi also has strong association with the practicing and propagation of Islam in India and abroad. The missionary movement ‘Tabhleeghi Jamaat’ has its origin and headquarters in New Delhi as well as ‘Jamaat - e - Islami Hind’ and other such Muslim organizations.
You talk of shopping and again New Delhi is indeed a shoppers dream come true, with so many traditional and big markets like ‘Cannaught Place’, ‘Karol Bagh’, ‘Chandni Chowk’, ‘Darya Gunj’, etc. New Delhi also boasts the ‘Sadar Bazaar’ a wholesale market for virtually anything. The presence of retail stores like ‘Great India Palace’, ‘Shipra Mall’, ‘Pacific Mall’, ‘Gold Souk’, ‘Ansal Plaza’, ‘DLF City Centre’ etc. provides the shopping experience for the new generation of shoppers.
For amusement, New Delhi has much to offer, ‘Appu Ghar’, ‘Fun n Food Village’ and ‘Fun World’ etc. to name a few. It also has many museums as well as the ‘Delhi Zoo’.
There is very good connectivity from New Delhi to all the major cities of India through air as well as with all the state capitals of India through ‘Rajdhani’ & ‘Shatabdi’ trains. Local commuting is very comfortable, hassle free and organized with most of the areas covered by ‘Metro Rail Corporation’. The availability of auto rickshaw, taxi and public transportation enables one to move around the city hassle free.
The best time of the year to visit New Delhi is from October to March, and hotel bookings should be done well in advance as hotel occupancy goes very high during this time of the year. As a precaution, one must generally avoid over reliance on unknown locals and going out at late hours of night.
Whatever may be your purpose of traveling to New Delhi, a Muslim traveler will find the city Halal Friendly and many things to see and experience.
