The Tughlaq dynasty ruled Delhi from 1321-1414 CE and made significant contributions to architecture. They built many civil structures, religious institutions, roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Major constructions included the massive Tughlaqabad Fort, various capital cities, and buildings within the fort like the citadel and palace complex. Later rulers like Mohammed Tughlaq and Feroz Shah Tughlaq also built extensively, constructing new cities, mosques, bridges and other architectural works. Key buildings discussed include the Khirki Masjid, Ferozshah Kotla, and the tomb of Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq. The Slave Dynasty that preceded the T

1. ZAINAB ABBAS
2012UAR1174

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

7. 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 Sath
Pul, Bijai Mandal, the presumably part of a "Palace of a Thousand Columns," and
several other buildings.

8. 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.

9. Khirki Masjid

10. 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.

12. Ferozshah Kotla

13. Ferozshah Kotla

14. Ferozshah Kotla

15. 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.

17. 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.

18. The outer portion of the fortress-tomb is designed in the form of an irregular pentago
with a spreading bastion at each angle. Its length which is less than three hundred fee
s 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.

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

20. 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.

22. Shah Tughlaq’s domed tomb was made of limestone, brick, and
, and its terrace was surrounded by a railing of which today only
f the columns and banisters remain. Railings were often used in
n Buddhist structures but are unusual in Islamic contexts and
ke the reuse of Emperor Ashoka’s columns, have been meant to
recall the power and glory of ancient India.

23. A bit on The Slave Dynasty

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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.