Ferozabad, the fifth city of Delhi, was built by Feroz Shah in 1354 as a replacement for Tughlaqabad. Ringed by crumbling fortifications are a huge mosque, a baoli (step-well), and the pyramid-like Hawa Mahal , topped by a 13m-high sandstone Ashoka Pillar inscribed with Ashoka’s edicts. There’s an otherworldly atmosphere to the ruins, which are still a place of worship – on Thursday afternoon, crowds gather to light candles and incense and leave bowls of milk to appease Delhi’s djinns (invisible spirits). Shoes should be removed when entering the mosque and Hawa Mahal.
