`The tabernacle of the eastern parts of the universe', said Al Minhaj Bin Siraj of Delhi in the thirteenth century. Few major cities of the world are as rich in historical associations as Delhi, and fewer still possess such a wealth of archaeological and architectural splendours. This anthology contains vivid accounts of Delhi from ancient times to the early twentieth century, picked from hundreds of books and documents, some of them long out of print. They rangefrom the Timur's accounts of his attack on Delhi to Aurangzeb's rules about the acceptable length of beards, and anecdotes about city saunas.These authentic, contemporary accounts recreating a vanished city, comprise an incomparable intproduction that tourists find will give their travels in Delhi a unique flavour; those who live there will get the opportunity to rediscover their home town.