ZAINAB ABBAS

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The Tughlaq dynasty often also called "Tughluq", was a Muslim dynasty of Turkic origin which established a Delhi sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in

1321 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. The Tughlaqs left their stamp on Delhi’s cityscape rather

emphatically. They were definitely the most prolific of builders, for within their tenure of seventy-seven years and ten rulers, they built many civil structures, religious institutions, and infrastructure like roads, bridges, dams, canals and

step-wells, hospitals, and other amenities for travellers like caravan sarais (inns), gardens, and orchards.

The Tughlaqs built a massive fortified city six kilometers(3.5 miles) north of the Qutb Complex. Like the practice of building royal tombs began by Iltutmish, successive

Islamic rulers followed Tughlaq practice and build a new capital after they came to power. The remains of these city and their capital cities constructed by successive Tughlaq rulers are located around the outskirts of the

modern city of Delhi.

Tughlaqabad Fort

This grand fort has a border of approximately 6.5 km and covers an area of about 1,902 acres/770 hectares. It is the largest fort in Delhi. Even the walls of

Tughlaqabad Fort are thicker (35 feet) in comparison to any of the forts in India. The barricade varies from 15 to 30 metres in height from the base. The maximum

height including the plinth and the ridge towers upto 60 to 70 metres.

The eastern part of the fort is accessible from the Qutub-Badarpur road. This eastern section is rectangular in shape and surrounded by high walls and bastions. The western side of the Tughlaqabad Fort is wider, with palaces and private rooms. This grand fort also had a reservoir that used to be on the southern side of the fort.

A wide anthill on the south eastern-corner of the fort leads to a small fortress, Adilabad. One can also spot a high tower 'Bijai-Mandal' inside the fort. This tower

has a long underground passageway which is not open to the public any more.

Buildings within the Tughlaqabad Fort including the citadel and the palace complex, Delhi

Mohammed Tughlaq the son and successor of Ghiyas-ud-Din also played an important role in the development of architectures during Tughlaq dynasty. His major contributions were the fourth city of Delhi, fortified walls named Jahan-

Pannah or the World Refuge, a double storied bridge of seven spans named SathPul, Bijai Mandal, the presumably part of a "Palace of a Thousand Columns," and

several other buildings.

Feroz Shah Tughlaq was a great patron of architecture and during his reign architectural developments of the Tughlaq dynasty reached the zenith. . His major creations were, Ferozshah Kotla, the fifth city of Delhi, three other fortress cities named as Jaunpur, Fathabad, and

Hissar, Khirki Masjid and the Begum-puri mosque at Jahanpanah, Kali Masjid, another mosque in the Dargah of Shah Alam at

Timurpuri and the Kalan Masjid at Shahjahanabad.

Khirki Masjid

From the architectural point of view, Khirki Masjid is immense and is a great example of Islamic architecture while showcasing the immense

architectural development during Tughlaq dynasty. It is closed on top which makes it unique and different from others. It is a small quadrangle-shaped

mosque and is covered entirely by a roof, which is an unusual thing for building of mosques. The presence of several domes on the roof along with

the wonderful latticework or jali on the windows represents the typical Islamic style of architecture.

Ferozshah Kotla

Ferozshah Kotla

Ferozshah Kotla

Firuz Shah Tughlaq (r. 1351–1388) initiated several large building projects, including hunting pavilions, palaces, mosques, canals, wells, and sluices. One of his most interesting projects was the transport of two large columns originally erected by Emperor Ashoka (c. 304–232 B.C.E.), a powerful ancient Buddhist ruler, to Delhi. One of these pillars, known as the golden minaret, was erected beside the mosque that Firuz Shah Tughlaq built. He also added two stories to the top of the minaret originally constructed by Qutb al-Din Aibak and Iltutmish after it was damaged by lightning.

The Tomb of Ghiyas-ud-Din

The tomb of Ghiyas-ud-Din is almost perfectly preserved. Originally the tomb was constructed in an artificial lake, which was connected with the citadel by an

eminent path. The Ghiyas-ud-Din’s tomb is in the form of a self-contained fortress in miniature with the sloping walls of circular bastions with eyelets for archery; on

the other hand it may also have been intended as a fortified central tower.

The outer portion of the fortress-tomb is designed in the form of an irregular pentagon with a spreading bastion at each angle. Its length which is less than three hundred feet is the unique feature on the small rocky island on which it was built. The courtyard within the tomb is unsymmetrical. The tomb-building is constructed diagonally at its widest part resembling it into the correct orientation with Mecca.

The major portion of the tomb-building is made with red sandstone, including the dome, made of white

marble

The most attractive part of its construction is the slope of the outer walls, as these are inclined at an angle of seventy-five

degrees, indicates the converging sides of a pyramid. Each side consist a tall pointed archway, three of which are doorways,

while the fourth one is closed to provide accommodation for the mihrab in its interior.

Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s domed tomb was made of limestone, brick, and plaster, and its terrace was surrounded by a railing of which today only some of the columns and banisters remain. Railings were often used in

Indian Buddhist structures but are unusual in Islamic contexts and may, like the reuse of Emperor Ashoka’s columns, have been meant to

recall the power and glory of ancient India.

A bit on The Slave Dynasty

One of Qutb al-Din Aibak’s first acts as sultan was the commissioning of a mosque— Quwwat ul-

Islam, or ―Might of Islam‖—in the center of the conquered Hindu stronghold of the citadel of

Delhi

The iron pillar that you see in front of the center of the central was taken from a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu

and erected as a trophy.

The Sandstone Gate of the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, Qubt Complex, Delhi, 1198

Although based on Iranian prototypes, the mosque was built by local craftsmen who used corbelled arches, a technique commonly

used in Indian temples— but not in earlier Islamic architecture—to create the structure. Corbelled arches are constructed by laying stone blocks on top of each other, with each block protruding

slightly beyond the blocks below until they meet at the top of the archway.

The Sandstone Gate of the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, Qubt Complex, Delhi, 1198

The Alai Minar. Although it was intended to be twice the size of the minaret built by Qutb al-Din Aibak and Iltutmish, it was

never completed. The remains of its massive foundation are seen here.