Aminabad Hamza Bazaar is one of the oldest market centers in the city of Lucknow, India, along with Chowk, Nathan's and Hazratganj.
The main commodities and goods traded are clothes, Chikan embroidery work, spices, dry snacks, hosieries and wedding decorations.
Aminabad is a combination of various markets, cluster of houses, offices and is often compared to the bustling Chandni Chowk of Delhi.
The Maqbara of Begum Khadija Khanam was also constructed in front of the masjid, but since has been lost to the vagaries of time, though the grave is still merely visible.
[1] By the time the Nawabs moved their court from Faizabad to Lucknow, the site had become the center of activity and irregular commerce.
The actual land on which Aminabad later was built on had passed under the possession of Sikandar Shikoh, a son of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II.
Over the following years, concrete houses, shops and parks replaced the thatched huts and ramshackle shelters in the open fields.
[3] Meanwhile, Babu Ganga Prasad Varma came to live in Aminabad in 1910 and designed the market with big corridors, so that roads could be used for walking.
In the following years, the importance and stature of Chowk and Nakhkhas bazaar started receding and Aminabad gained ascendancy, and Aminuddaulah Park became not only the talk of the town but the nation itself.
Many more leaders including Jawahar Lal Nehru, Atal Bihari Bajpayee and Subhash Chandra Bose gave fiery speeches for independence at this platform.
Prior to independence, the literati of the city had made Aminabad their place of dwelling and they eagerly awaited the leading Indian newspapers like Humdum, Haqeeqat and Pioneer each morning.
The owner of Danish Mahal, Nasim Ahmad, who died recently, was not only well-conversant with all kinds of books, but was also familiar with the persona and wherewithal of the stalwarts of the town.
In spite of being congested at times, Aminabad is a colorful, vibrant and lively market to shop, with products ranging from gold and silver to jewelry and ornaments, chikan kurtas to fancy sarees loaded with embroidery, from Lucknawi paan (betel leaves) to bakeries.
This is another famous wholesale and retail market located in Aminabad, where home decor, cosmetics, Lingerie, apparel, foot wear, and other daily needs items shops are established.