Srinagar, May 18 -- In the narrow alleys of Downtown Srinagar, the past doesn't just linger, it lives.

Houses lean into each other as if in conversation. The Jhelum River curls nearby, steady and silent, flowing past ancient shrines, vegetable patches, copper shops and carpet looms.

Here, every stone seems to carry a memory, and every shop tells a story.

The Old City, known locally as Shehr-i-Khaas, is the most densely populated pocket of Srinagar. Just five kilometers from Lal Chowk, the city's bustling heart, it stretches across neighborhoods with names as old as the city itself: Zaina Kadal, Khanyar, Rajouri Kadal, Jamalatta, Nowhatta, Gojwara, and more.

Much of the area is built on the banks of the Jhelum, where land has long serv...