Things to see / do / remember / shopping / shops / marble panels / floral designs / fountains / Royal Pavilion / plaza / baths / Important buildings / other structures / souvenirs / antiques / paintings / Indian War Memorial Museum in Red Fort
The Shopping Arcade of Red Fort The pathway leads to the domed shopping arcade identified as Chatta Chowk, lined with shops in the beginning where the royal family unit used to shop for silks, brocades, velvets, gold and silver ware jewelry of India, gems etc. The arcade was in addition known as Meena bazar which presented fashionable shopping, just for ladies of the court on Thursdays. Nowadays the shops provide to tourists with souvenirs, antiques etc and the upper levels are the quarter of Indian Army families.
Naubat Khana and Hathi Pol At the ending of the Chatta Chowk is the Naubat Khana the Drum house where the musicians used to play ceremonial music to adore the emperor and extraordinary tunes were played to proclaim the influx of the royalty and significant dignitaries. The drum house has four floors and it moreover used to serve as a gate house Hathi Pol where the visiting dignitaries had to put down their horses and elephants. The red sandstone walls are wonderfully decorated by means of floral designs formerly painted in gold with an internal courtyard enclosed by galleries. Although the galleries were removed as the fort had to undergo a number of alterations when it became the British Army Headquarters.
Just above the Naubat Khana is the Indian War Memorial Museum which has a compilation of amours, guns, swords and further items associated to war. There is the Swatantra Sangrama Sangrahalaya, the Museum of the Independence movement of India which displays letters, photos, newspaper cuttings positioned in the midst of the army buildings previous to Naubat Khana.
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