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Mameluk Architecture

The document summarizes key architectural features of buildings constructed during the Mamluk or Slave dynasty in Delhi, including the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and Qutb Minar. The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was built in the 12th century on the site of demolished Hindu temples, incorporating pillars and other materials from the temples. It has a courtyard surrounded by cloisters and arches. The Qutb Minar tower was built near the mosque in the 13th century and rises to over 70 meters tall with balconies and different architectural designs on each storey.

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253 views21 pages

Mameluk Architecture

The document summarizes key architectural features of buildings constructed during the Mamluk or Slave dynasty in Delhi, including the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and Qutb Minar. The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was built in the 12th century on the site of demolished Hindu temples, incorporating pillars and other materials from the temples. It has a courtyard surrounded by cloisters and arches. The Qutb Minar tower was built near the mosque in the 13th century and rises to over 70 meters tall with balconies and different architectural designs on each storey.

Uploaded by

Kpatowary90
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© © All Rights Reserved
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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.

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