Regional Islamic Architecture

Jaunpur | Ajmer | Sasaram

1. Qibla Wallall mosques must face Mecca. The qibla, which means direction in Arabic, helps us locate that direction once in the mosque. 2. Mihrabthis is a small concave niche in the center of the qibla wall that also helps indicate the direction of prayer. 3. Minbarthe staircase where the Imam or prayer leader will stand to address the community. 4. Minaretnot always included in early mosques, it has now become an essential marker of its purpose. It is a slender tower sometimes attached to the mosque proper. They come in all shapes and sizes. Ottoman mosques of Turkey, for example, have distinct rocket-shaped minarets. 5. Ablutions areafaucets or a pool of water can be used for ablutions. The area can be inside the courtyard of the mosque or outside the mosque walls. Muslims must clean their hands, feet and face before praying; so all mosques have a place to perform this cleaning. 6. Haramthis is the covered area in front of the qibla wall. 7. Sahnthe courtyard surrounded by wall, and sometimes covered arcades.

http://bss.sfsu.edu/meis/teachingmaterials/mosque.html

Prithviraj Chauhan (ruler of Delhi) Mohammed Ghuri (overran Punjab & sind) Qutubuddin Aibak (representative of Ghuri Enthrones himself as Sultan after Ghuris death) Begins Qutub Minar Iltutmish Khalji (Ala-ud-din Khalji) Tuglaks (Ghiyas ud din Tuglaq) Mohammed bin Tughalk Feroz Shah Sayyids take over Sultanate Lodis Babur

Babur 1525 Humayun Defeated by his enemy Sher Shah Suri Humayun recovers his throne 1555 Akbar 1556 Jehangir 1605 Shah Jahan 1628 Aurangzeb Crowns himself in 1628 Persian Ruler Nadir Shah

Muslim rule begins in India for next 600 years

MUGHALS

Atala Masjid
Jaunpur, UP, India

Atala Masjid
Built in 1408 (15th century) by Sultan Ibrahim (Ibrahim Shah) In Uttar Pradesh Has lot of Hindu influences stands on the site of a Hindu temple of Atala Devi The entire construction of the mosque is in gray sandstone and granite.

Screened / veiled dome

Pylon

+ Arch + Pylon

Jaunpuri Features

The dome that is screened behind the liwan

Square-shaped mosque with robust appearance, Use of great rectangular pylons in the center of liwan, influence of circular tapering turrets of Tughlaqs resolved into rectangular

A Exterior around the East entrance B Central iwan C Prayer room-Facade D South wing E Domed Chamber F North wing The 2nd story Roof top

http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~islamarc/WebPage1/htm_eng/jaunpur/atala0_e.htm

What is a iwan/liwan? Liwan is a word used since ancient times into the present to refer to a long narrow-fronted hall or vaulted portal found in Levantine homes that is often open to the outside.

The dome of the main sanctuary is carried on squinches. Although it is raised on an octagonal drum, it is still not visible from the courtyard due to the imposing height of the entry iwan, a distinctive element of Jaunpuri architecture. Inside the sanctuary is stone mihrab niche with a ribbed semi-dome, flanked by the stone minbar. The decoration consists mainly of carved floral patterns.

The gallery wings have two-floors and are centered around domed rooms with a mihrab and courtyard entrance. Their flat ceilings are supported on twin columns and beams resting on brackets. The three domed rooms of the prayer hall project beyond the qibla wall, with tapering turrets bracing their corners in the manner of Delhi's Tughluqid architecture.

IMAGE SOURCE: http://www.oberlin.edu/images/art234/PreM.html

Adhai din ka Jhompra

Ajmer

Adhai din ka Jhompra, Ajmer

Located on the outskirts of the town, Adhai Din ka Jhonpra is an example of early Indo-Islamic architecture. Designed by Abu Bakr of Herat, the Adhai Din ka Jhonpra believed to have been built in two and a half days, and is thus named Adhai-din. According to another story the name is derived from a two and a half day fair held here every year.

Adhai din ka Jhompra, Ajmer

It is square 259ft on each side with cloisters on all four sides. It encloses a spacious courtyard and four splendid star shaped cloister towers on four corners, surmounted by magnificent chattris. The stone used is fine-grained pure silicious stone coloured yellow by iron. It originally stood on a high terrace with the back towards the hill. The temple of learning was on the western side and entrances on south and east. The interior consisted of a quadrangle 200ft x I75 ft. The college building is said to have been built in 53 AD by Visaldeva, the first Chauhan ruler. The cloisters extended 770ft now it is only 64ft left; it was destroyed by Ghuri`s attack on Ajmer in II92. Ghuri`s men added seven arches in front of the western side, and a mehrab and mimbar near it. The mehrab is of white marble and was added in II99 AD. The screen wall was added during the time of Illtumish in I2I3 AD.

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1100_1199/adhaidin/adhaidin.html

Ancient Jain Temple

Adhai Din ka jhompra

Adhai din ka Jhompra, Ajmer

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1100_1199/adhaidin/adhaidin.html

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1100_1199/adhaidin/adhaidin.html

The Sur Dynasty, who came from Afgan tribe, is a branch family of Lodi Dynasty (1451-1526) controlled Delhi in the late 15th century. And it began with the first ruler, Ibrahim Khan Sur, who controlled the Narnaul area. Its second ruler Hasan Khan Sur, the third ruler, Sher Shah Suri (reign 1540-45) and the fourth ruler Salim Khan Sur (reign 1545-1554) constructed unique mausoleums in Sasaram situated in the middle of the Ganga river. The tomb of Hasan Khan Sur is in the town and that of Sher Shah is in the western suburb. That of Salim Shah, which is unfinished, is about 2km northwest of the town.
http://www.ioc.utokyo.ac.jp/~islamarc/WebPage1/htm_eng/sasarameng.htm

Sher Shah Suris Tomb

Sasaram, Bihar, India

Sher Shah s (reign 1540-45) Tomb at Sasaram

The square terrace forming the wide basement of this domed mausoleum has canopies at its four corners. In all four sides of the basement, stairs leading to the water edge are formed. The main body of the mausoleum, having an octagonal plan is situated at the centre of the basement. It may be correct to say that it follows the style of octangobal mausoleums built under the Sayyid and the lodi Dynasty, which still exist in Delhi. Surrounding a rather high drum supporting the octagon and the dome, kiosks, each having a dome, formed by 4 pillars, are constructed. Looking at this mausoleum from the lakeside, it looks like a group of these small kiosks, viewed together with the ripples on the surface of the lake, bring this majestic building into further prominence. Having surveyed the features of this mausoleum at the site, I can't help but admire the outstanding plan and excellent result of the work of Sher Shah, who ordered to build this majestic construction on the lake and Aliwar Khan, an architect responsible for design and construction of that time. It is possible that this grand mausoleum remains are the very thing symbolizing character and an achievement of the resourceful general Sher Shah, the who went to Dehli and interrupted the Mughalid dominance for a period of time.
http://www.ioc.utokyo.ac.jp/~islamarc/WebPage1/htm_eng/sasaram/shershah16_e.htm