[Reader-list] Settlement at Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti

[naveid pasha]

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The settlement at Hazrat Nizamuddin is an organic settlement that has grown around the Mausoleum of a holy saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin. In 1274 AD, Hazrat Nizamuddin shifted base from Badauin to Delhi to set up a Khanqah in Gyazpur.
Gyazpur was then a jungle situated on the banks of Sitari, a tributary of river Yamuna, away from the main city at Mehrauli. After he had set up his khanquah, a place where he meditated and taught his disciples, the settlement at Nizamuddin basti emerged.
Over the years the settlement has become a hub of Sufi culture in the city. Every year, Urs is organised to commomerate the birth and death anniversaries of Hzt Nizamuddin and Hzt Amir Khusroah, his favourite disciple.
The Urs attracts thousands of devotees from across the country. Apart from the annual celebrations the Dargah is visited daily by thousands of devotees. These devotees provide a source of livelihood to a large section of the people of this settlement. 
The way the durgah continues to provide a source of livelihood is the centre of our study. The built form has evolved as a result of influx of people to the durgah and the socio economic forces that dictate the design of the built form makes one understand the urban space, its ecology, culture and history.