HISTORY OF DELHI SULTANATE

THE DELHI SULTANATES WERE A SERIES OF FIVE DIFFERENT

DYNASTIES THAT RULED NORTHERN INDIA BETWEEN 1206 AND
1526. MUSLIM FORMER SLAVE SOLDIERS, OR MAMLUKS, FROM
THE TURKIC AND PASHTUN ETHNIC GROUPS ESTABLISHED EACH
OF THESE DYNASTIES IN TURN. ALTHOUGH THEY HAD IMPORTANT
CULTURAL IMPACTS, THE SULTANATES THEMSELVES WERE NOT
STRONG AND NONE OF THEM LASTED PARTICULARLY LONG.

THE DELHI SULTANATES BEGAN A PROCESS OF ASSIMILATION
AND ACCOMMODATION BETWEEN THE MUSLIM CULTURE AND
TRADITIONS OF CENTRAL ASIA, AND THE HINDU CULTURE AND
TRADITIONS OF INDIA, WHICH WOULD LATER REACH ITS APOGEE
UNDER THE MUGHAL DYNASTY (1526 - 1857). THAT HERITAGE
CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT TO THIS
DAY.
FIVE FAMILIES RULED THE DELHI SULTANATES OVER THE
CENTURIES:
THE MAMLUK DYNASTY (1206 - 1290);
THE KHILJI DYNASTY (1290 - 1320);
THE TUGHLAQ DYNASTY (1320 - 1414);
THE SAYYID DYNASTY (1414 - 1451); AND
THE LODI DYNASTY (1451 - 1526).
GEOGRAPHY OF DELHI SULTANATE

CULTURE DURING THE DELHI
SULTANATE
NOBLES WERE LEADERS AND CHOSE THE SULTANS
PEOPLE HAD TO LEARN ARABIC, PERSIAN, AND TURKISH TO COMMUNICATE
WITH EACH OTHER
PEOPLE HAD TO WEAR A TURBINE AND A CAPE TO ENTER A MOSQUE
PEOPLE HAD TO PRAY 5 TIMES A DAY
MANY WERE IN THE ARMY SINCE THE DELHI SULTANATE'S HATED THE MONGOL
ARMIES AND SOUGHT TO DESTROY THEM AND SUCCEEDED MANY TIMES
THE GOVERNMENT BUILT MARKETS TO PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF THE
MOSQUES

ADMINISTRATION
THE ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM OF DELHI SULTANATE WERE
DIRECTED AND GOVERNED BY THE QURANIC INJUNCTIONS. THE
QURANIC LAW WAS THE SUPREME LAW OF THE EMPIRE.
THE CALIPH WAS THE SUPREME SOVEREIGN ACCORDING TO THE
ISLAMIC THEORY OF SOVEREIGNTY. ALL MUSLIM KINGS
THROUGH THE WORLD WERE HIS SUBORDINATES.
THE REAL HEAD OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF DELHI SULTANATE
WAS THE KING OR SULTAN HIMSELF.

SOCIETIES/RELIGION OF THE DELHI SUL
TANATE
PREDOMINANTLY DIVIDED INTO THREE SECTIONS: FOREIGN MUSLIMS,
INDIAN MUSLIMS AND HINDUS
THE FOREIGN MUSLIMS (ARABS, AFGHANS, PERSIANS, TURKS, ETC.) W
ERE CONSIDERED TO BE THE ELITE/RULING CLASS, BUT WERE NOT UNI
TED DUE TO CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
RESERVED ALL HIGH OFFICES OF THE STATE
LOOKED DOWN UPON INDIAN MUSLIMS BECAUSE THEY WERE FORMERL
Y LOW-CASTE INDIANS


DIVISIONS WERE MAINTAINED BASED ON PREVIOUS CASTES, NATIO
NALITIES, RELIGIOUS SECT, EDUCATION, ETC.
SLAVE SYSTEM WAS PREVALENT, HOWEVER SLAVES WERE GIVEN ED
UCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES TO RISE UP IN LIFE
AN EXAMPLE IS THAT OF QUTUB-UD-DIN AIBAK, WHO WAS THE FOUN
DER OF THE MAMLUK SULTUNATE
HE WAS FORMERLY A SLAVE OF MOHAMMAD GHORI
WOMEN IN MUSLIM SOCIETIES HAD TO OBSERVE THE PURDAH SYS
TEM
POLYGAMY WAS COMMON
MOST MUSLIM WOMEN WERE DEVOID FROM EDUCATION
HINDU WOMEN WERE TREATED RELATIVELY BETTER, WITH EDUCATIO
N AND RESPECT BEING HIGHLY EMPHASIZED
HOWEVER, EVEN HINDU SOCIETIES WERE RIDDLED WITH SOCIAL EVI
LS, WITH ACTS SUCH AS WIDOW REMARRIAGE BEING BANNED
HINDUS AND MUSLIMS BOTH HAD GOOD HOUSES TO LIVE IN
THEY WORE CLOTHES MADE OF SILK, COTTON, WOOD ETC.
THE USE OF DIAMONDS, RUBIES AND OTHER PRECIOUS STONES WAS
COMMON
PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS SUCH AS POLO, HUNTING AND WRESTLIN
G WAS DONE BY BOTH MUSLIMS AND HINDUS
ARCHITECTURE/MONUMENTS OF THE D
ELHI SULTANATE
A STRONG TURKISH INFLUENCE US FOUND IN THE BUILDINGS OF
THE DELHI SULTANATE
VERY INTRICATE AND WELL-APPOINTED ARCHES AND DOMES CO
ULD BE FOUND IN TURKISH PALACES
QURANIC TEACHES AND FLORAL PATTERNS WERE COMMON
HINDU MOTIFS SUCH AS BELLS, FLOWERS AND SWASTIKAS COU
LD BE FOUND IN THE BUILDINGS OF THAT TIME PERIOD
FAMOUS BUILDINGS INCLUDE THE QUWAT-UL-ISLAM AND THE QUTAB MINAR
THE QUWAT-UL-ISLAM WAS FINISHED DURING THE REIGN OF QUTABUDDIN A
IBAK, BUT THE QUTAB MINAR WAS FINISHED BY ALTAMASH, HIS SUCCESSO
R AND SON-IN-LAW
DURING THE KHALJI SULTANATE, ALAUDDIN KHALJI BUILT THE ALAI DARWAZ
A
INCORPORATED CHARACTERISTICS OF BOTH MUSLIM AND HINDU ART
AS MENTIONED BEFORE, THE MONUMENT FEATURED INTRICATE DESIGNS PAT
TERNS AND DECORATIONS
THE MONUMENTS OF THE TUGHLAQ WERE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF THE
KHALJI DYNASTY
TUGHLAQ ARCHITECTURE FEATURED MORE INTRICATE DESIGNS OF BUILDI
NGS, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE NOT AS ORNATE AS THOSE OF THE KHALJIS
EXAMPLES INCLUDE THE FEROZABAD PALACE BUILT BY FIROZ SHAH TUGHL
UQ AND THE ADILABAD FORT, BUILT BY MUHAMMAD BIN TUGHLUQ
THE SAYYIDS AND LODIS DID NOT BUILD HUGE BUILDINGS AND MONUMENT
S
THEY WERE KNOWN FOR THEIR MAUSOLEUMS AND TOMBS
INDUSTRY/TRADE
EACH REGIONS OF SUBCONTINENT HAD DIFFERENT TYPES OF INDUSTRIES,
BUT MOST POPULAR ONES WERE CARPET INDUSTRY, AND HANDMADE
OBJECTS.
FLUENT TRADE STARTED AFTER BALBAN(SULTAN) ORDERED PEOPLE TO BUILD
ROADS TO SECURE PEOPLE AND MERCHANTS FROM BANDITS.
THEY IMPORTED FOREIGN GOODS MORE THAN EXPORTING THEIR GOODS.
THERE WERE INTERNAL TRADE AND EXTERNAL TRADE.


INTERNAL TRADE WAS USUALLY WITH NORTH AND SOUTH INDIA, BUT
EXTERNAL TRADE WAS MOSTLY OVERLAND TRADE.
TRADE ITEMS WERE USUALLY HANDMADE PRODUCTS, SHAWLS, AND
CARPETS.
MOST OF THE TRADING WAS HIGHLY RISKY DUE TO ROBBERS,
DACOITS, AND VARIOUS MARAUDING TRIBES
LEARNING/LITERATURE
SULTANS AND MANY RULERS PRIORITIZED EDUCATIONS AND LITERATURE, SO
THEY PROVIDED SHELTERS AND MANY NEEDS SCHOLARS.
SULTANS OF DELHI USUALLY GAVE SERIOUS INTERESTS TOWARDS PROGRESS
OF PERSIAN LITERATURE.
MOST OF THE BOOKS WERE WRITTEN IN THE FORM OF PROSE, DRAMA, AND
POETRY.
AS LITERATURES DEVELOPED, VARIOUS LANGUAGES WERE INTRODUCED TO
THE DELHI SULTANATE.
ART/MUSIC
DURING THE PERIOD OF DELHI SULTANATE (1206-1526), THERE WERE
VARIOUS TYPES OF MUSIC SUCH AS CARNATIC, AND HINDUSTANI.
DUE TO SULTANS LARGE INTERESTS IN CULTURE AND ARTISTIC FEATURES,
THESE TWO TYPES OF MUSIC EVOLVED THROUGHOUT THOSE YEARS.
MOST OF THE ART IN DELHI SULTANATE CONSISTED ARCHITECTURES. THERE
WERE NUMEROUS SULTANS SUCH AS QUTBUDDIN AIBEK OF SLAVE DYNASTY
WHO WERE INTERESTED IN MAKING STRUCTURES SUCH AS GARDENS, ROYAL
TOMBS, AND MOSQUES.
SOURCES
HTTP://WWW.HISTORYDISCUSSION.NET/HISTORY-OF-INDIA/TRADE-AND-
COMMERCE-DURING-THE-SULTANATE-AND-MUGHAL-PERIOD-INDIAN-
HISTORY/674
HTTP://WWW.INDIANETZONE.COM/46/LITERATURE_UNDER_DELHI_SULTAN
ATE.HTM

SOURCES
HTTP://WWW.IMPORTANTINDIA.COM/11075/ART-AND-ARCHIT
ECTURE-DURING-DELHI-SULTANATE-PERIOD/
HTTP://WWW.INDIANETZONE.COM/46/SOCIETY_DELHI_SULTA
NATE.HTM

SOURCES
HTTP://WWW.BRITANNICA.COM/EBCHECKED/TOPIC/156530/DELHI-
SULTANATE
HTTP://WWW.CHIEFACOINS.COM/DATABASE/COUNTRIES/SULTANATE
_OF_DELHI.HTM