Historical and social study on projects of construction of the capital city Delhi of the Mughal Empire in the 17th century

本报告试图整理关于在莫卧儿帝国统治下建造首都德里项目的各种思考，以显示迄今为止所做研究的不完全性。从印度北部德里苏丹国时期起，所谓的德里城市的历史可以通过考虑17世纪上半叶建造的大都市的项目来澄清。德里、阿格拉和拉合尔发展成为印度北部穆斯林王国的大都市；新德里的建设是由莫卧儿帝国在近代早期规划的，最终在沙贾汗统治期间全面完工。莫卧儿帝国的首都呈现出现代大都市的一面，超过了中世纪专制统治者居住的城堡。欧洲学者对德里的许多城市研究都缺乏对印度北部的历史研究。它认为大都市是由皇室成员和随从组成的人群。这份报告批评了这种过时的、意识形态化的方法，并敦促将城市研究提升到一个新的、更科学的水平。要弄清德里的历史实质，当时的城市住房状况应该是研究的主要对象。历史上德里的城市居民并不仅仅由王室、其仆人和贵族组成。富裕的印度商人活跃在城市的主要集市上，专业人士、工匠和体力劳动者住在mahallahs（病房）。显示当时这座城市的历史资料仍有待德里国家档案馆的彻底调查。城市的历史可以从对其行会的新调查中得到进一步的澄清，中产阶级就是从行会中产生的。

This report attempts to put into order various thinking about the project to construct the capital city of Delhi under the Mughal Empire, in order to show the incomplete character of the research made to date. The history of the so-called cities of Delhi from the time of the Delhi Sultanate in northern India can be clarified by considering projects up to the metropolitan city constructed during the first half of the 17^<th> century.Delhi, Agra and Lahore developed as metropolises in the Muslim kingdoms of northern India ; and the construction of New Delhi was planned by the Mughal Empire in the early modern age and was finally completed in full-scale during the reign of Shah Jahan. The capital city of the Mughal Empire presents the aspect of the great modern metropolis, which exceeds the castles where autocratic rulers resided during the medieval age.A lot of urban research on Delhi done by European scholars lacks historical aspects regarding northern India. It considers metropolitan cities as crowds of people made up of royal members and attendants.This report criticizes such an outdated, ideological approach and urges that urban studies be taken to a new, more scientific level. To clarify the historical substance of Delhi, the city housing situation at the time should be the main target of study.Urban dwellers in historical Delhi did not consist only of the royal family, its servants and the aristocracy. Wealthy Hindu merchants were active in the main bazaars of the city and professionals and artisans and menial laborers lived in the mahallahs(wards).Historical materials which show the city at that time have still to be surveyed thoroughly at the National Archives of Delhi. The city history can be further clarified from new investigation into its guilds, from which its middle class emerged.