Shahr-i-Khaas is the old city of Srinagar, spread along the banks of the Jhelum north of Lal Chowk and holding the valley's densest concentration of shrines and old architecture. Locals call it Downtown. It is where the wooden shrines, the copper workshops, the papier-mâché ateliers and the bakeries are, and it is best covered on foot.
Duke Kashmir Travels, registered with the J&K Department of Tourism as JKTA00003978 since 2011, runs guided old-city mornings from Srinagar. Kashmir packages begin near ₹6,350 per person, two sharing a room.
By Duke Kashmir Travels Team · Reviewed by Rayies Ahmad Zargar, Founder · Published · Updated
Key takeaways
- Home to roughly half of Srinagar's population, on both banks of the Jhelum.
- Jamia Masjid (1394), Khanqah-e-Moula and Dastageer Sahib all stand here.
- The old bridges over the Jhelum are the historic spine of the quarter.
- Harissa in winter, tsot bread from the tandoor at dawn, kahwa all year.
- Copperware, papier-mâché and khatamband ceilings are all still made in these lanes.
- Walkable in a morning; the lanes are too narrow for a car.
What is Shahr-i-Khaas?
The historic core of Srinagar, north of Lal Chowk along the Jhelum, built up over six centuries of Kashmiri rule.
Sultans, Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs and Dogras all left buildings here. The result is a quarter where a fourteenth-century mosque, a wooden Sufi shrine and a nineteenth-century merchant house can sit within one lane of each other.
What should you see first?
Jamia Masjid at Nowhatta, then Khanqah-e-Moula on the riverbank, then Dastageer Sahib at Khanyar.
Add Pathar Masjid and the shrine of Makhdoom Sahib on the Hari Parbat slope if you have the morning. In late winter, Badamwari is a few minutes away and in blossom.
What is it like to walk?
Narrow, busy and rewarding. Lanes are shoulder-width in places, so vehicles wait at the edges while you walk the middle.
Go in the morning when the bakeries are working and the light reaches into the lanes. Dress modestly for the shrines, and ask before photographing people at work or at prayer.
What should you eat there?
Harissa at dawn in winter, tsot and girda bread from the tandoors, and kahwa from any of the small shops.
Harissa is a slow-cooked mutton dish sold only in the cold months and only in the morning; the old city is where to eat it. Our guides know which counters are worth the queue.
Booking this with us
The agency behind this guide, Duke Kashmir Travels, was registered with the J&K Department of Tourism in March 2011 (JKTA00003978) and joined IATO in 2016. More on the paperwork is on our About Us page.
Tell us when you are travelling and how many of you there are, and a costed itinerary follows. Reach us on +91 9018 44 0000, at info@dukekashmirtravels.com, or through the contact page.
About the founder
The agency was started in Srinagar in 2011 by Rayies Ahmad Zargar, who owns it to this day, helped found the JK Tourism Council, and reads every destination guide before it goes up. His LinkedIn profile is here.