In the early fourteenth century, the second Khalji ruler, Alauddin founded the city of Siri, on the plains where his armies met the Mongols in battle. Due west, outside the walls of Siri, he built a large hauz or tank, that was known as Hauz-e-Alai, to supply water to the new city. In the years...Read more
Jahanpanah—literally, ‘Refuge of the World’—also called the fourth city of Delhi, was established in AD 1326 by the second Tughlaq sultan, Muhammad bin Tughlaq. It was created by linking the scattered urban settlements of the older cities of Siri and Lal Kot by extensive walls with thirteen gates...Read more
Chirag Dilli is named for the much-revered Sufi mystic, Nasiruddin Mahmud, Roshan Chiragh-e-Dehli (‘The Illuminated Lamp of Delhi’), who came to Delhi in the early fourteenth century and was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, and later became his successor. Along with Khirki village, south-west of...Read more
The northern end of the Delhi Ridge and the Delhi University today dominate this relatively laid-back area that first came into prominence when the British defeated the Marathas led by the Scindias at the Battle of Patparganj in 1803 and took over the territory around Delhi. A closer inspection...Read more
Few visitors today venture into this area of Delhi, tucked away in the north of the walled city of Shahjahanabad, a little removed from the more popular tourist attractions of Red Fort and Chandni Chowk. Although the area contains few remains from the earlier Sultanate period, it was actively in...Read more
When Firoz Shah Tughlaq restored the Hauz Khas, he also built the Madrasa-e-Firoz Shahi or the ‘College of Firoz Shah’. This was an institution of higher education, endowed by the emperor himself. It became a premier institute of learning that attracted students from far and wide. You can still...Read more
Jahanpanah – literally, ‘Refuge of the World’ – often known as the fourth city of Delhi, came to be established when Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the second Tughlaq sultan set out to establish a new city for himself in about ad 1326. It is said that the sultan wished to unify the scattered urban...Read more
Lodi Garden, located on Lodi Road between Safdurjung’s Tomb and Khan Market in south Delhi, covers an area of 90 acres and is dotted with beautiful monuments and tombs. Buzzing with joggers and walkers throughout the year,the area is a haven for picnickers and for those looking for a sunny patch to...Read more
Near the Mehrauli village settlement, in an area now designated as the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, are scattered various monuments—a legacy of centuries of architectural skill. It is of prime historical value in the local, national, and international context. The Mehrauli Archaeological Park...Read more
Mehrauli, lying on the south-west of Delhi is one of the most important group of villages which developed around the shrine of the Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, popularly known as Qutb Sahib. He was born in Central Asia but came to India during the reign of Iltutmish as a disciple of Khwaja...Read more