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ARCHITECTURE
EARLY-ISLAMIC TRADITION
AD727-AD1287
THE FIRST ISLAMIC BUILDING ON INDIAN SOIL PRODUCED AFTER CONQUEST OF SINDH IN
THE 8TH CENTURY BY MUHAMMED QASIM.THE EARLIEST MOSQUE REMAINS OF PERIOD AD
727 FOUNDED IN BHAMBORE, FIRST MOSQUE IN INDIAN SUBCONTINENT.
AD1290, FIROZ JALLAL-UDIDIN KHALJI RULED DELHI FOR A PERIOD OF SIX YEARS
THEN THRONE TAKEN BY THE ALA-UD-DIN-KHALJI. HE WAS APOWERFUL RULER AND
HIS ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS SEEM TO REFLECT HIS CHARACTER. THE ISLAMIC
BUILDERS TOOK A STEP AHEAD IN THEIR ART AND ARCHITECTURE. THE ALAI
DARWAZA AT QUTUB COMPLEX , HAUZ KHAS AND NEW CITY SIRI WERE TESTIMONY
TO HIS DYNAMIC ABILITY.
FURTHER EXTENSION OF THE QUTUB COMPLEX
THE ALAI DARWAZA AND THE REMAINS OF SO – CALLED ALAI MINAR. ALA-UD-DIN-
KHALJI ENALRGED QUWAAT-UL-ISLAM MOSQUE BY 6 TIMES.
ON THE NORTH SIDE, FOUNDATIONS OF ALAI MINAR WERE LAID OUT . HE PROPOSED
TO INSTALL SIX GATEWAYS , ONE OF THESE WAS ALAI DARWAZA WHICH WAS
COMPLETED AND ONLY SURVIVING TILL DATE.
FOR THE FIRST TIME CONSTRUCTION WAS CARRIED OUT WITH MASONRY WITH
ALTERNATE COURSES OF HEADER AND STRECHERS.
THE ALAI DARWAZA
THE TOMB OF THE FOUNDER OF THE TUGHLAQS WAS BUILT IN AD1325 WITHIN AN
UNUSUAL IRREGULAR PENTAGONAL FORTIFIED ENCLOSURE. THE TOMB IS
CONNECTED TO THE FORTESS BY 230 M LONG PASSAGEWAY, BUT TODAY IS DRY
SCRUBLAND.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES