Mosque and Iltumish's Tomb

Quwwat-ul Islam Mosque 1192 to 14^th C

The name of the Mosque means Might of Islam, though it may have originally been Qubbat al-Islam meaning Sanctuary of Islam. The central courtyard was built by Qutb-ud-din from 1192. It is believed that as many as 27 Hindu and Jain temples were destroyed to make way for the mosque and provide materials for its construction. This can be observed in the pillars around the courtyard which show carvings of Hindu deities and other animals etc.

Many have been defaced probably for being idolatrous and there have been theories that white plaster once covered many of the carvings, but that is uncertain. What the site does show is the change as masons adapted from previous Hindu requirement to Islamic ones, with more geometric and calligraphic carvings appearing over time.

The great arch screen at the rear was constructed in 1199. At the time the Roman methods of arch building used in West Asia had not reached India and the arches here show the lack of familiarity with the technique. Instead of having curved off stones toped by a key stone purely horizontal slabs of increasing length are used to hold the structure together.

Iltutmish went on to extend the mosque and added more arches to the screen. In this area more usual Islamic carvings of calligraphy and geometrical forms become prevalent and show great skill in the masons. His extensions also brought the Qutb Minar within the boundaries of the mosque.

Later Alud-ud-din Khaliji, wanted to extend the boundaries even further with four large gateways but only the Alai Darwaza was completed, though the foundations for the walls are still in place.

The mosque continued to be used until the building of Shahjahanabad in the 17^th century when many people moved to the new city .

Iltutmish’s Tomb 1235

Iltumish built his own tomb a year before he died. The exterior is fairly plain while the interior is highly decorated with inscriptions from the Koran. There is no dome over the tomb, and the thickness of the wall suggests that they were not strong enough for a dome. It is possible that one was never built.

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