Patrick, a fellow tourist, and I shared expenses to take an autorickshaw to the Qutb Minar in the far south of the Delhi metropolis, but it was closed for a visit by the Italian president - Italy and India have been getting close ever since Italian-born Sonia Gandhi led the Congress Party to victory in the 2004 election. So instead we hired another long autorickshaw ride to Tuqluqabad, the abandoned city established by one of North India's many Muslim dynasties. This pleasantly deserted area on the outskirts of town features plenty of grazing goats and, on the Sunday of our visit, informal cricket games in every grassy area. From the top of Tuqluqabad's highest minaret is a view of a container yard and some reeking slums. | Next | North India Map | Asia 2005 Gallery Home | Home