Seven Cities Of Delhi
Mehrauli
Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated and killed in battle by Mohammed
Ghori in 1192, who left his slave Qutubuddin Aibak as his viceroy in
India. In 1193, Qutubuddin Aibak captured Delhi, which was still in the
hands of the Chauhans. After the death of Mohammed Ghori in 1206,
Qutubuddin enthroned himself as the first sultan of Delhi - Delhi thus
became the capital of Mamluk or the Slave dynasty, the first dynasty of
Muslim sultans to rule over northern India. From the date of its new
captors, Delhi felt the impact of their culture and faith and continued to
do so for the next six and a half centuries. Much of this was in
architecture, as Qutubuddin set about to create Mehrauli, by destroying
Hindu temples and building Islamic structures in their place. One of
these was the tower of victory - the 72.5 m tall Qutab Minar, finally
completed in 1220 AD, which still stands. Around Qutab Minar are
several ruins from the 11th and 12th c,including the mausoleum of Saint
Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Shamsi Talab, a mosque and tombs of
rulers. Qutubuddin's heirs reigned until 1290; Razia Sultan, his grand
daughter who ruled for a mere three years is a historic figure as the first
woman empress of India.
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