Jahanpanah – literally, ‘Refuge of the World’ –is often known as the fourth city of Delhi. The walls of Jahanpanah were constructed by Muhammad Tughlak in 1328 A.D. It is believed that the sultan (a megalomaniac) desired to unify the scattered urban settlements in the area : the old city of Lal Kot, the military cantonment of Siri, and the citadel of Tughlaqabad into one city by enclosing them within a single walled area. After building a part of it, he gave up the rest due to the huge expenses needed for construction. Jahanpanah was created by linking the older cities of Siri and Lal Kot by a set of two extensive walled sections with a total of thirteen gates. The western wall had six gates while the eastern had seven. But only the name of Maidan Gate on the west, near an old idgah, survives. Sher Shah removed the walls of this city.
Historians believe that the fortified city was for the residence of the sultan and his royal household so must have contained the citadel with the sultan’s palace complex and the main mosque for the use of the royal family and others. The majority of city’s population lived within the walls of Lal Kot. It is also possible that large parts of Jahanpanah continued to be rural or forested during and long after Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign. Today, the fortifications have survived in small sections, mostly parts of the wall that connected Siri to Lal Kot from the south.
Due to the expansion of urban India, Jahanpanah has been engulfed by modern residential neighbourhoods while large parts of the walls were demolished to lay modern infrastructure like roads. Other than the parts of the original wall, very little survives of what can be dated to Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign with certainty.
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...s. Below ground is a three feet wide cell and is almost filled up with soil. It is declared to be Kabir-ud-din Aulia’s abode below by day and above by night. The group of buildings includes ruins of several wall mosques, grave platforms, and gateways.
On the roof, a low octagonal drum carries a conical dome. It is said that the dome was originally surmounted with a gold finial which was stolen at some point. The roof level is edged by carved sandstone battlement decorations. a tall pointed entrance arch with lotus bud fringe design contains a carved corbelled gateway surrounded by a band of white marble. Above the gateway is another arch, within which is set a red sandstone jali (screen with ornamental patterns). Similar patterns exist on the north and south except that the gateway is blocked by a jali of red sandstone. The solid western wall contains the mihrab.
McCutcheon, Priscilla. “Returning Home to Our Rightful Place: The Nation of Islam and Muhammad Farms,” Elsevier (2013): 61-70 doi: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2013.05.001
The China’s Great Wall is one of the most spectacular and lasting structural feat ever conceived by the human mind. It is considered as the monument to the Chinese civilization constructed at extreme costs and under myriad sacrifices including loss of lives from hard labor for a worthy cause. The Great Wall, which is translated in Chinese as Chang Cheng was originally constructed to provide protection to the Chinese farmers from the marauding nomadic raiders who raided villages for food. The topics that follows attempt to elaborate the history of the Great Wall; the motives behind its construction; the design, materials, methods as well as the processes and labor that were applied in its construction.
The wooden lintels, writing, and the unique calendar reveal clues about life in a society that thrived for over 1000 years. Many massive building are visible today, those built to pay tribute to kings and to please the deities. The M...
Stratton, E. (2002). The evolution of Indian stupa architecture in east Asia. New Delhi: Vedams.
The Lodhi Gardens, in India, contain a mosque, a place for Muslims to worship God. The famous mosque, “built… by the Saiyads and the Lodhis…have been beautifully maintained and preserved” (Gupta). The mosque contains inscriptions of the Qur’an with floral patterns on the ceiling (Gupta). The mosque, one can argue, may represent Islam as a whole, with beauty and symmetry, inscribing verses from the Qur’an. One can say the mosque at the Lodhi Gardens makes an argument. Because of the objective beautiful aesthetic of the mosque, people are drawn to it, often the site for school trips and tourism, and the mosque presents itself, winning people over and making the mosque a site to see; however without the inscriptions of the Qur’an, the Lodhi Gardens
A study of Jaisalmer havelis shows plain walls in the lower part of north and south facades and full height, texture walls on east and west facades, which are shaded, almost all day. Textured walls are only 50mm thick while the massive walls are 450mm to 600mm thick (Gupta, 1984, p.64).
The Great Wall of China, one of the world’s eight wonders, is one of the most famous feats of human architecture in the history of the world. This ancient marvel is not only a great spectacle, but is also significant in the shaping and molding of the China everyone knows today. The Great Wall of China allowed China to possess some of the longest lived governmental structures in the world by providing a means of protection against hostile nomadic groups and other warlike peoples. This allowed the lifespans of the dynasties-- lines of hereditary rulers who rule over a country for a long period of time-- inside the wall to be prolonged. This massive structure is therefore a key part of China’s history, influencing nearly every dynasty that ruled the region, since the rise of the first emperor.
Each of the buildings is individual yet connected by covered walkways known by all who enter here as bridges'. The Islamic Center community building holds cl...
The Muslim place for worship, is called a mosque, the Mihrab of the great mosque of Cordoba, was one example, of the Islamic architectural ingenuity. Built in the eleven century, upon entering the mosque, you witness the horseshoe arch, which opens onto the mihrab, the niche that marks the direction of Muslim prayer, towards Mecca. The mosque features a large columned hall whose square or rectangle shap...
It takes in the parameters of Bali Lane, North Bridge Road, Beach Road, Aliwal Street, Sultan Gate and Kandahar Street (Urban Redevelopment Authority, 2015) (refer to Appendix A). However, the area is more commonly known as Arab Street which typifies the Arabian lifestyle. Everyone get together here to indulge in Arab Street's rich culture, whether to delight in the history, the souk-style retail experience or the ethnic
The Taj Mahal, which translates to “Crown Palace” is a very significant monument and regarded as one of the best in the world. It is actually a mausoleum where both the bodies of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are found. It was built from 1631 till 1648 AD in Agra, India (History of Taj Mahal). Architects from all around the world were ordered to come to India and build this Taj Mahal by the order of the Mughal, Shah Jahan (History of Taj Mahal). He built this to honor his wife after her death while she was giving birth to their child (History of Taj Mahal). Her last words for Shah Jahan was to build a tomb in her memory that the world has never seen before, and so he did what she asked for (History of Taj Mahal). Later on, the grave of Shah Jahan was added to the Taj Mahal.
The large piece of architecture symbolises love to many who come and visit this Mughal era architecture. May tourists who visit feel peaces and calmness overcome them and they fell overwhelmed by the beauty of the Taj Mahal its significance that it embodies the cenotaph of Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal and when Shah Jahan died three decades he was also laid to rest next to his beloved wife. It is also said that the ‘coffins bearing their remains lie in the spaces directly beneath the cenotaphs’ (Kapadia, 2015). Also after the addition of the Taj Mahal into the world heritage site in 1983, the Taj Mahal started to receive more worldwide recognition and soon became one of the most famous and favourite tourist destinations in the world today. It is said that the Taj Mahal attracts over one million visitors both local and foreign per year. Tourists enjoy viewing the architectural site and are mesmerised by its enormous and lavish exterior and interior which are carved and crafted, as they depict stories of love, death, memory and beliefs along the
A 27-acre part of land is estimated to border Burj Khalifa formulated by the architects of the SWA group. Besides the core scheme Burj Khalifa is based on the symmetries and the triple-lobed design of desert
Taj Mahal. ( Mahal is the word in urdu language used for Palace) How can I describe The Taj Mahal? You can’t its impossible. You just have to experience it. To gaze in wonder at that magnificent dome and elegant gardens will be a moment that you remember for the rest of your life. It is one of the greatest sights in the world, some say the greatest, and like Victoria Falls, The Grand Canyon, and Macchu Picchu, it simply is one of those things you have to see in your life. The architectural grace and symmetry of the Taj Mahal just takes your breath away. We had chosen our visit carefully--the sun was setting and the light that washed over the Taj was golden in color. The minarets were now stark against the setting sun . The actual dome was a surprise, it is not yellow-white but blue-white and covered in inscriptions and detail. From below it looked like something out of "Arabian Nights." But inside were the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The central tomb is a lofty chamber with light streaming through fine latticework, and hanging above was an elaborate lamp. Words cannot describe its beauty when you stand on that marble platform overlooking the Yamuna, with the setting sun turning it into a golden ribbon. You may a...