Architecture of Few Buildings Constructed during the Sultanate Period

Buildings Constructed during the Sultanate Period!

Ala-ud-Din’s buildings were built from perfectly Islamic view point and are regarded as few best examples of Islamic art in India.

He built a new town at Delhi known as Siri, a few kilometers from the Qutab Complex. The Dargah of Hazrat-Nizam-ud-Din Aulia was also built.

The ‘Allai Darwaza’ a gate-way constructed near Qutab Minar has been described as “an invaluable treasure of Islamic culture.” It has a beautiful combination of red sand stone and marble.

The ‘Ayats’ (verses) from the Quran are beautifully engraved with a unique balance in its arches. A huge tank called Hauz Khan or Hauz-i-Allai, spread over an area of more than seventy acres of land was also built near Siri. The tank was surrounded by a wall made of stone and lime mixture.

Buildings built during the Tughlaq Period:

The Tughlaq Sultans were puritanical in their outlook and therefore they did not attach importance to ornamentation in their buildings. Secondly their buildings were very solid and strong. Some buildings bear mark of Hindu features. Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq built a new city of Tughlaqabad, east of Qutab area (Delhi). He also built a palace and his own tomb.

Muhammad Tughlaq built a new city of Jahanpanah near Siri (Delhi). Muhammad Tughlaq also constructed the Adalabad Fort near Tughlaqabad. Firoz Shah is credited with the construction of several buildings and founding many towns. During his time un-carved stones were used in large quantity as a result of which buildings lacked beauty of architecture. It is also felt that the buildings of this period exhibited a vacuum of thought.

According to Ferishta, Firoz Tughlaq constructed 20 palaces, 20 cities, 30 schools, 30 mosques, 100 hospitals, 5 tombs and 150 bridges. Among his important buildings were the new city of Firozabad near the old city of Delhi, the palace fort known as Kotla Firoz Shah within it, or Madarsa (college) and his own tomb near Hauz-i-Khas.

Buildings constructed during the Lodi Dynasty:

Lodi Sultans adopted a new style of constructing tombs on a raised platform. Some tombs were built within parks, e.g. Tomb of Sikandar Lodi within Lodi Gardens (New Delhi). Some tombs were octangular. Among the most important mosques was the ‘Moth ki Masjid’ (New Delhi).