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Tomb of Sultan GhariDelhi, India
The Sultan Ghuri Tomb, a fortified mausoleum in Delhi, was built by Sultan Iltutmish (r. 1211-1236/607-633 AH) for his eldest son Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud. It is considered the first monumental tomb built in the Indian subcontinent. An inscription on the eastern portal dates the tomb to 1230/627 AH.
The tomb is located in an isolated area, and is an octagonal structure sunk within a courtyard on a high square plinth, enclosed by stone walls with circular corner bastions. The octagonal platform set within the courtyard forms the roof of the subterranean crypt below, an arrangement not found again in India until the 17th century. The tomb is built on the site of a Hindu temple and incorporates Hindu masonry, including lintels and sculpted 7th-century panels.
A mihrab is incorporated into the western wall of the tomb for the first time, along with a small columned prayer area in front of it, intended to give the tomb a religious sanction and ensure that future rivals and opponents would not destroy the grave.
The tomb was renovated during the time of Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351–1388/751-789 AH).
Sources:
Sources:
Asher, Catherine. The New Cambridge History of India: Architecture of Mughal India, 4. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Merklinger, Elizabeth Schotten. Sultanate architecture of pre-Mughal India, 28-29. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2005.
Michell, George, and Philip Davies. The Penguin guide to the monuments of India. Vol. 2, 138. London, England: Viking, 1989.
Nath, R. and C. Uday Bhaskar. "Delhi." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, accessed June 4, 2014, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T021997.
Tillotson, G.H.R. Mughal India, 48. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990.
Tillotson, G.H.R. Mughal India, 48. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990.
Location
Delhi, India
Associated Names
Events
1230/627 AH
Style Periods
1200-1526
Variant Names
Tomb of Sultan Ghuri
Variant
Tomb of Sultan Ghori
Variant
Site Types
funerary
Materials/Techniques
Tomb of Sultan GhariDelhi, India
The Sultan Ghuri Tomb, a fortified mausoleum in Delhi, was built by Sultan Iltutmish (r. 1211-1236/607-633 AH) for his eldest son Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud. It is considered the first monumental tomb built in the Indian subcontinent. An inscription on the eastern portal dates the tomb to 1230/627 AH.
The tomb is located in an isolated area, and is an octagonal structure sunk within a courtyard on a high square plinth, enclosed by stone walls with circular corner bastions. The octagonal platform set within the courtyard forms the roof of the subterranean crypt below, an arrangement not found again in India until the 17th century. The tomb is built on the site of a Hindu temple and incorporates Hindu masonry, including lintels and sculpted 7th-century panels.
A mihrab is incorporated into the western wall of the tomb for the first time, along with a small columned prayer area in front of it, intended to give the tomb a religious sanction and ensure that future rivals and opponents would not destroy the grave.
The tomb was renovated during the time of Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351–1388/751-789 AH).
Sources:
Sources:
Asher, Catherine. The New Cambridge History of India: Architecture of Mughal India, 4. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Merklinger, Elizabeth Schotten. Sultanate architecture of pre-Mughal India, 28-29. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2005.
Michell, George, and Philip Davies. The Penguin guide to the monuments of India. Vol. 2, 138. London, England: Viking, 1989.
Nath, R. and C. Uday Bhaskar. "Delhi." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, accessed June 4, 2014, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T021997.
Tillotson, G.H.R. Mughal India, 48. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990.
Tillotson, G.H.R. Mughal India, 48. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990.
Location
Delhi, India
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1230/627 AH
Style Periods
1200-1526
Variant Names
Tomb of Sultan Ghuri
Variant
Tomb of Sultan Ghori
Variant
Site Types
funerary