Azimganj Sarai

The Azimganj Sarai is a rectangular stone structure with an arched gateway that sits inside the walls of the National Zoological Park. Built during the sixteenth century, this travelers' hostel provided a place for merchants and pilgrims to rest on the route to the city. Its high perimeter walls and inner courtyard kept inhabitants safe from wildlife and thieves alike. In the nineteen fifties, planners built the zoo around this existing monument, leaving the old sandstone chambers standing among the enclosures for big cats.