The old city of Srinagar — known locally as Shahar-e-Khaas or simply Downtown — occupies the western bank of the Jhelum River, north of Lal Chowk. It is the most historically layered and architecturally distinctive part of the city: a dense network of lanes lined with traditional wooden buildings, neighbourhood mosques at every corner, and bazaars that have been trading continuously since the Mughal period.
The defining architectural feature is the carved deodar wood construction — the facades of the older buildings are covered in elaborate lattice windows, corbelled brackets, and balconies. The mosques (Jamia Masjid, Khanqah-e-Moula, Pathar Masjid, and numerous smaller neighbourhood shrines) represent the finest collection of Mughal-era Islamic architecture in Kashmir. The old city is also where most of the craft workshops are: carpet weavers, papier-mâché painters, and walnut carvers work in narrow lanes a few metres from shops selling their products. Walking here without a specific destination is the point.