Delhi Sultanate

Mamluk (Slave) Architecture

• Main buildings:
– Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
– Qutub Minar
– Arhai Din ka Jhompra
– Tomb of Nasir-ud-Din Mohammed (Sultan
Ghari)
– Tomb of Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish
Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
• QUWWAT-UL-ISLAM MOSQUE
– Built by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak in Qila Rai Pithora,
the ancient Hindu citadel.
– Built on the plinth of a Hindu temple which was
dismantled.
– The plinth was expanded to cover a rectangle of
150' X 212'.
– This stylobate was then enclosed by a wall with
cloisters on all sides.
• Cloisters
– Cloisters were three aisles deep.
– Composed of pillars from Hindu temples, placed
one above the other to achieve the desired
height
• Sanctuary
– The western part of the cloister was the
sanctuary.
– The arrangement of the pillars was made more
spacious and resolved into a series of bays with
shallow domed roofs.

• Courtyard
– The courtyard is 105' X 141', surrounded by
cloisters.
– In the front of the centre of the sanctuary stands
the iron pillar with the Garuda motif removed
from its pinnacle.
• Screen (Maqsura)
– In 1199, a screen of an arched facade was added across the
front of the sanctuary.
– The screen is a wall of masonry 50' high at the centre, 108'
wide and 81/2' thick.
– The screen is pierced by 5 arches, the central arch 45' high and
22' in span and two smaller ones on each side, each 25' high.
– Each smaller arch had a clerestory above it, mainly for
decorative purposes as it did not serve in any way the
sanctuary behind it.
– The facade is embroidered with carvings of floral devices and
Quranic verses.
– The arches are not true arches but built by corbelling, hence
we know they were built by local workmen acting on verbal
instructions from a Muslim clerk of works.
– The ogee shape of the arch may be derived from the Buddhist
caves of the Barahar hills of Bihar and the Stupas of Sarnath.
Corbel Arch v/s True Arch
Ogee Arch
Qutb Minar
• QUTUB MINAR
– Built near Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in 1200 by
Qutb-ud-Din Aibak.
– The height of the tower is 73 m.
– The tower was originally four storeys high with
a domed roof. Renovations have added a storey.
– The tower is entered from the a gateway on the
north side which opens out into a spiral
staircase.
• Storeys
– Each storey has a different pattern in plan.
– First storey- Alternate wedge shaped and round
projections
Second storey- Circular projections
Third storey- Star shaped
Fourth storey- Round
• Balconies
– Each storey has a balcony around it.
– The balustrade around the balcony originally
showed merlons called kanjuras.
– The balconies are supported by stalactite
vaulting, represented by clusters of miniature
arches with brackets in between, influenced by
the tracery of temple ceilings.