The Delhi Sultanate ruled northern India for over three centuries. The era, marked by the desecration of temples and construction of mosques from temple-rubble, is for many South Asians a lightning rod for debates on communalism, religious identity and inter-faith conflict. Using Persian and Arabic manuscripts, epigraphs and inscriptions, Fouzia Farooq Ahmad demystifies key aspects of governance and religion in this complex and controversial period. Why were small sets of foreign invaders and administrators able to dominate despite the cultural, linguistic and religious divides separating them from the ruled? And to what extent did people comply with the authority of sultans they knew very little about? By focusing for the first time on the relationship between the sultans, the bureaucracy and the ruled Muslim Rule in Medieval India outlines the practical dynamics of medieval Muslim political culture and its reception. This approach shows categorically that sultans did not possess meaningful political authority among the masses, and that their symbols of legitimacy were merely post hoc socio-cultural embellishments.Ahmad's thoroughly researched revisionist account is essential reading for all students and researchers working on the history of South Asia from the medieval period to the present day.

Muslim Rule in Medieval India

The Delhi Sultanate was the first Islamic state to be established in India. In a broad-ranging, accessible narrative, Peter Jackson traces the history of the Sultanate from its foundation in 1210 to its demise in 1400 at the sack of Delhi by the Central Asian conqueror, Tamerlane. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the Sultanate was the principal bastion of Islam in the subcontinent. While the book focuses on military and political affairs, tracing the Sultanate's resistance to formidable Mongol invasions from the north-west and the administrative developments that underpinned these exploits, it also explores the Sultans' relations with their non-Muslim subjects. As a comprehensive treatment of the period, the book will make a significant contribution to the literature on medieval Indo-Muslim history. Students of Islamic and Indian history, and those with a general interest in the region, will find it a valuable resource.

The Delhi Sultanate

Essay from the year 2017 in the subject History - Asia, grade: 1.2, , language: English, abstract: After the Mu’izz al-Din Ghuris Indian campaign and the consolidation of the conquered territory under his subordinates in the last decade of the twelfth century, the Turkish bandagan occupied many positions of influence and power in North India. Thus, when there emerged a politically paramount sultanate of Delhi under IItutmish, all the strategically important positions were given to the monarch’s senior slaves or the elite bandagan-I khass. By the end of IItutmish rule, the influence of the Turkish slave soldiers on the political structure of the sultanate administration was disproportionate to their social status (Al-Sahli, 2013). Although the Turkish slave soldiers had undergone traumatic alienation and been introduced to the Islamic faith as well as the decorum of the court as part of their training, their Turkish heritage remained unchanged. To a large extent, the early Delhi sultans, who were of Turkish origins created in their slaves the Turkish identity in order to create new bonds and identities through the process of divesting the slaves from their old relations. Scholars have noted that the sultans deliberately gave their slaves Turkish names rather than Arabic ones which would have been in tandem with the Islamic faith which they professed (Kumar, 2009). A shared Turkish ethnicity was used to reinforce the bonds between the slave soldiers and the sultan; however, it did not imply that they alienate the non-Turkish slaves. Thus, the slave soldiers were an integral part of the reproduction and sustenance of the authority of the Delhi sultanate.

Turkish Slaves in Delhi Sultanate

The Present Work, As Its Title Sug¬Gests, Focusses On The Frontier Policy Of The Delhi Sultans And Traces The Ups And Downs It Underwent During The Reign Of Different Rulers, Together With The Various Contributory Factors For The Periodical Adjustments.The Study Is Based On Original Source Material And To Make The Narrative Intelligible The Author Has Added Several Useful Maps Showing The Routes Followed By The Mongol Hordes In Their Incursions Into India, As Well As The Fortifications Built By The Sultans To Meet This Formidable Challenge.

The Frontier Policy of the Delhi Sultans

Illustrations: 2 Maps Description: The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli by Ishtiaq Husain Qureshi is a comprehensive work on this most important period of Indian history. It covers the period between A.D. 1206, when Qutb-ud-din Aibak ascended the throne, and A.D. 1555, when the last of the Surs, Sikandar Shah, was overthrown and Humayun, the Mughal emperor, re-established himself at Delhi. Unlike the other works on the subject, the Surs have been included under the purview of the work since the rule of the Surs was, technically, a ministration of the state. In fact, Sher Shah, the founder of the Sur dynasty, started anew the administrative machinery of the Sultanate. In this comprehensive study, the primary sources, the numismatic and epigraphic evidence and the relevant works on law, politics and statecraft have been fully utilized. In eleven chapters, details about the sovereign, the royal household, the ministers, finance, the army, justice and police, religious affairs, education and public works, provincial and local government and the spirit of the government have been discussed. A detailed bibliography with certain topics relevant to the subject make this book a work of permanent value to the students and the scholars alike.

The Administration of the Sultanate of Delhi

The fascinating and chequered history of Delhi through the centuries has been a popular subject among authors. Yet, only a few other than K.A. Nizami record in rich detail the cultural, social, economic, and spiritual fabric of the city—the ‘gorgeous blaze of glory’ that was Delhi—between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. He presents his accounts of the periods of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the poet Ghalib through the analyses of wide-ranging sources: original literary, travel, biographical, hagiographical, and administrative accounts in Persian, Hindavi, and Urdu. This book is a compilation of the historian’s lectures delivered at the University of Delhi and the Ghalib Institute in Delhi, first published in Urdu in 1972. The author’s conversational style, replete with literary allusions, makes this an essential read for lovers and admirers of this beguiling city and its historic Sufi culture. Ather Farouqui’s English translation captures the true essence of Nizami’s work and now makes it easily available to a wider readership.

Delhi in Historical Perspectives

From the beginning of the 2nd millennium AD northern India began to fall under the sway of a number of Muslim-Turkic rulers who, at the start of the 13th century, founded the series of dynasties known to history as the Delhi Sultanate. For three centuries these sultans expanded their territory, which led to a dramatic rise in the number of fortifications throughout the subcontinent. This period is the defining age of the Indian castle and the combined influence of the Islamic and Hindu architectural tradition lends these fortifications a unique style. This book covers all the major sites of the period including the fabled seven medieval cities on the site of the present-day city of Delhi.

Indian Castles 1206–1526

This book provides an integrated view of the Delhi Sultanate government from 1206 to 1526. It is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the political events and the dynastic history of the Sultans and the second part with the administration, different land issues, social life including two major religious movements and other cultural aspects including architecture and sculpture. The growth of the city of Delhi has been shown here perhaps for the first time. Most of the books on Delhi Sultanate mainly narrate the political events. Here other aspects have been included to show the real character of the Sultanate. It may be mentioned that the English officials from the end of the eighteenth Century had termed the medieval period of India as a ‘dark age’ – a statement that has been accepted by several Indian writers. It is to negate this view that an integrated narrative has been provided here. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

The Sultanate of Delhi (1206-1526)

Based on the author's dissertation (doctoral--Quaid-i-Azam University, 2005).

Chishtī Sufis in the Sultanate of Delhi, 1190-1400

The volume cover the entire political history of Delhi Sultanate, focusing on Mahmud Ghazni's campaigns, Ziyauddin Barani's descriptions, Sufi saints and their records, as well as peasants, artisans, tailors, weavers and a plethora of people who constituted the landscape of the subcontinent during the eleventh to seventeenth centuries.

Delhi Sultanate and its Times

The Delhi Sultanate has captured the political imagination ever since its inception at the end of the twelfth century. In various way, both direct and indirect it sets the tone of life in the modern day Indian polity; especially in terms of the questions it raises regarding the relations betweens religious identities (Hindu and Muslim), and how these shape the fortunes of the Indian nation to this day. It can be argued that one of the reasons why the Delhi Sultanate and subsequent Muslim ruled polities in India have raised so much acrimony, is due to the notion that the establishment of these often violent polities and their development represented a sense of abrupt change from pre-Islamic India; making these polities look like an unnatural intrusion into the civilizational landscape of India; an intrusion that ended the 'Hindu' period of Indian history, a chronological and cultural categorization which many accept to this day. However the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate was not a simplistic intrusion. Instead it can be argued that the Delhi Sultanate represented a form of continuity in that it enhanced a warrior culture that was already prevalent in Northern India; a culture that valued military capability as a sign of innate authority, and used this authority for formulating a political hierarchy; where warrior identity and religious values were seen as deeply intertwined, and at times conflated. In a military environment like this the Sultanate as a polity had much to offer as it consisted of individuals and groups, who back in their Central Asian homeland were themselves in a process of social and cultural mobilization within the ambit of a warrior identity; a mobilization that was closely linked to Islamicization. Hence, the Delhi Sultanate operated in a geographical space where both forms of warrior identities came in to dialogue; a dialogue that involved both violence and co-operation. It will argued here that the Delhi Sultanate was a dynamic which involved the interaction of an Iranic warrior identity, which was closely linked to Islamicization in Central Asia and an Indic warrior identity closely linked to social and cultural processes in India; and it was not primarily a religious conflict, based on doctrinal difference. Religion did play a part, but not in the manner that has normally been envisaged in the popular imagination and mainstream historiography to this day.

Dialogue & Daggers

Book Summary Table of Contents Volume 1st Foreword v Preface ix The Sadarat : Origin and Development 1 Foundation of Sadarat in India 33 I. The Ilbari Turks 76 II. The Khaljis 137 III. The Qaraunah Turks 183 IV. The Sayyids 273 V. The Lodhis 285 VI. The Surs 308 Abbreviations and Bibliography 324 Index 336 Foreword The administrative machinery of the Delhi Sultanate was run mainly by three ministries—the Diwan-i-Wizarat, the Diwan-i-’Arz and the Diwan-i-Risalat. While some work has been done on the first two, an in-depth study of the Diwan-i-Risalat–which dealt with religious matters, stipends and pious foundations—has largely remained a desideratum. Mr. A. D. Khan’s work goes a long way in filling this gap in our historical literature. With his extensive knowledge of the contemporary and modern literature, he has tried to put the institution of sadarat in its proper historical perspective. His contribution deserves approbation by all those interested in medieval Indian history and culture. Discussing the origin of the office of sadr, Khwandmir observes in his Nama-i-Nami that Malik Shah Seljuqi had established this office as he was desirous of having a learned man at the court to represent the cases of Syeds and ‘ulama' and to manage pensions, stipends and endowments. In course of time the office of sadr became the chief authority dealing with all religious matters and provided institutional liaison between State and Religion. Mr. Khan has very ably traced the evolution of sadarat in medieval India and has shown how the scope and conspectus of its work differed from period to period. The Diwan-i-Riyasat was headed by two important officers, the Qazi-ul-Quzat and the Sadr-us-Sudur. During the Sultanate period these two offices were entrusted to the same person who thus came to exercise great authority in judicial matters while his patronage to scholars, religious men and the indigent people enhanced his prestige. The muhtasib (Censor of public morals), who functioned under the aegis of this department, enjoyed some economic powers also pertaining to the market. Thus the institution of sadarat became a very influential wing of the administrative machinery and both the pulpit and the chair came to be controlled by the sadr. Notwithstanding all this authority, it would be wrong to think that the sadarat or the ‘ulama' bound to the state chariot regulated or influenced the policies of the State. Beyond creating a lashkar-i-du’a and providing state help to khanqahs and madrasahs, the sadarat had no say in administrative matters as such. It enjoyed religious prestige but wielded no political power. The Sultans were guided by exigencies of the political situation and formulated zawabit (state laws which had nothing to do with shari’at laws) to administer the country. The advice of Syed Nuruddin Mubarak Ghaznavi, Qazi Mughis and others was never heeded by the Sultans. Barani’s political realism made him appreciate that in matters of government the Sultans looked to the precepts of the legendary heroes of Iran rather than the religious precepts and principles of the jurists. The Delhi Sultanate maintained the Diwan-i-Sadarat with all enthusiasm and extended all patronage to its functionaries but the strings of administration were entirely in the hands of secular authorities. The function of the institution of ihtasab was to check immoral behaviour at public places. Under rulers who were themselves sunk in debauchery—like Kaiqubad, Mubarak Khalji and others—the muhtasib had to watch helplessly rapid deterioration in public morality. Under ‘Alauddin Khalji the institution of ihtasab gained unprecedented prestige. The Sultan’s strong measures against drinking, prostitution etc. strengthened the functioning of the Department. Maulana Ziauddin Sunnami’s Nisab al-Ihtasab gives a very good idea of the matters dealt with by the Department during this time. His book became popular in Muslim lands also. Mr. Khan’s work will be read with interest as it does not merely deal with the theoretical aspect of the institution of sadarat but gives a very lively account of the actual role of individuals involved in its functioning at different levels. He attempts an analysis of the different approaches of the ‘ulama and sufis of the period and traces its interaction in the broader framework of medieval history. It is hoped that Mr. Khan’s work will be read with keen interest by all students and scholars of the history of medieval India. K. A. Nizami (Nizami Villa, Aligarh)

A History of the Sadarat in Medieval India VOLUME- I (PRE-MUGHALPERIOD)

The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of South Asia for 320 years. Following the invasion of the subcontinent by the Ghurid dynasty, five dynasties ruled over the Delhi Sultanate sequentially: the Mamluk dynasty, the Khalji dynasty, the Tughlaq dynasty, the Sayyid dynasty, and the Lodi dynasty. It covered large swaths of territory in modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well as some parts of southern Nepal. An age of chaos, an age of violence, and an age of wrath, the years when the Delhi Sultanate ruled over most of India were some of the most turbulent years. In many ways, it paved the way for India to become the high seat of Mughal power, and the grand throne on which the British Empire seated itself for nearly four centuries thereafter. Hindu culture mixed with Islam, ceding way to something that was a not-too-sublime version of everything. A version which has no other word for it, except perhaps to be called Indian. Architecture, literature, music, food, clothing and religion interspersed freely, and this led to the India we all know and love. However, it was not without price. Many were massacred, and many more oppressed in the name of religion and in the war for power. India emerged, but only to fall into the hands of an invading Timur the Lame, also called Tamerlane. The high seat of Mughal power was ready, and the Mughals ascended it. This book sings the story of an India unsung, the India of the Tughlaqs, and the India which was called the mythic jewel of the east.

History of Delhi Sultanate

Delhi Sultanate Era Is The First Chapter Of Glorious Medieval Indian History. Although, It Was Not A Very Large Empire In Size, Yet, It A Well Established And Strong Kingdom, Governed By Turks And Pathans.Delhi Sultanate May Not Be As Important As The Mughal Empire, Which Took Over Later, But It Was Certainly A Mighty Empire, In The Centuries To Come.This Two-Volume Work Is A Comprehensive Study Of The Events And Trends, In That Period. It Also Covers The Cultural And Social Aspects, Which Make It More Valuable.This Work Is Bound To Be Acknowledged And Welcomed By Scholars, Students And General Readers.

History Of The Delhi Sultanate (Set Of 2 Vols.)

Implicit In The Title Of This Monograph Is The Study Of The Political Structure Of The Sultanate Founded In The Wake Of The Ghurian Conquest Of North India Towards The Close Of The Twelfth Century Ad. The Introduction Of The New Politico-Social Institutions Led To Important Changes In The Country`S Traditional System. This Volume On Medieval History Will Arouse Scholar`S Interest In Undertaking Further Investigation And Research Into This Field.

Authority and Kingship Under the Sultans of Delhi

This work explores the cultural orientation of the sultanate of Delhi, a subject on which little work has been done so far. The architects of the sultanate introduced a new system of governance with novel social and cultural institutions, and Persian as an official language. These were significant moves as they served as catalysts for social change. Alongside, the emergence of new urban centres as well as setting up of colonies of foreign immigrants from lands of more advanced culture in the old towns led to the transfiguration of culture in the sultanate. Structurally, it is divided into three parts. The first explores the role played by the metropolis of Delhi as an integrating nucleus, and examines the cultural and social relationship between Hindus and Muslims, and the intellectual and diplomatic atmosphere of the times. The second part focuses on the nature of the relationship between the sultans of Delhi and the Mongol rulers of Central Asia. The third part examines the life and position of women and the attitude of different classes of society towards their women folk during the sultanate period. As in his earlier works, the author marshals an impressive array of sources to underline his argument and offers a paradigm shift from conventional historiography, and in doing so opens up vistas for further research in the history and culture of the sultanate period.

Composite Culture Under the Sultanate of Delhi (Revised and Enlarged Edition)

The present work is a broad survey of political, social, economic and cultural developments in India between 1206 and 1526. These three and a quarter centuries, called the Delhi Sultanat, is sometimes seen as a dark age of war and rapine in which little developments took place.

Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526) - Part One

This Book Deals With The Medieval Period Of Indian History. Most Of The Historians Consider This Period As The Dark Period Of Indian History. According To Them, Ancient Period Was The Glorious Period Of Indian History. During This Period Foundation Of Indian Culture And Of Social Structure Was Laid; But During Medieval Period India Did Not Make Much Progress. In Spite Of Historians' Opinion, It Can Be Said That During Medieval Period Also Progress Was Made And Several Buildings Were Constructed During This Period. Great Development Was Made In Art, Painting And Literature. Hindi Literature Made Great Progress During This Period, As Such, Kabir, Tulsi, Surdas, Jayasi, Rahim And Raskhan Are Still Considered Among The Greatest Writers Of Hindi Literature.Urdu, Punjabi And Other Regional Literatures Made Great Progress During This Period. Sikh Religion, Bhakti Cult And Sufism Also Made Great Progress During This Period.This Book Deals With All Aspects Of Medieval Indian History In Detail To Meet The Requirements Of The Students And The Common Readers.The Book Is Divided Into Three Parts. First Part Covers Saltanat Period From 1206 To 1526. Second Part Deals With The Mughal Period From 1526 To 1760 A.D. In Detail. Third Part Covers Period Upto 1857 In Brief. Bhakti Movement, Society And Culture, Art And Architecture, And Economic Aspects Have Been Described In Details In A Very Simple And Lucid Style.

History of Medieval India

The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilisation is a precious good, whose delicate complex of order and freedom, culture and peace can at any moment be overthrown by barbarians invading from without or multiplying within. ~Will Durant, American historian Invaders and Infidels: From Sindh to Delhi: The 500-Year Journey of Islamic Invasions is a work of gripping history, which tells the story of the origins and trajectory of Islamic invasions into India. It begins with the first Muslim conquest and ends with Babur's invasion of Hindustan, spanning the period of the Delhi Sultanate which was in power for almost 320 years. This epochal story encompasses a vast sweep of events, which changed the history of India forever, and introduced it to an alien faith and a religious despotism such as the country had never experienced before. It comprises major and minor sagas of great heroism, untold savagery, stout resistance, brutal intrigues and epic tragedies. Embedded in this narrative are two major themes, largely overlooked in the inherited Indian historical and cultural memory. For more than three hundred years, alien Muslim invasions into India were largely fleeting, transitory and unstable. However, the lasting legacy of these Muslim invasions is the permanent destruction and disappearance of Classical India. Invaders and Infidels will fascinate anyone interested in the story of pre-Medieval India, a gateway era in the history of this ancient culture and civilisation.

Invaders and Infidels (Book 1)

For the purpose of the Historical Dictionary of Medieval India, the period from 1000 A.D. to 1526 A.D. will be considered India's medieval times. The turbulent history of this period is told through the book's chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on key people, historical geography, arts, institutions, events, and other important terms.

Historical Dictionary of Medieval India

The Delhi Sultanate, a significant medieval Indian dynasty, played a pivotal role in shaping the subcontinent's history from the 13th to the 16th century. Established by various Turkic and Afghan dynasties, it witnessed the rise and fall of several powerful rulers. The Delhi Sultanate's reign left an indelible mark on India's cultural, architectural, and political landscape. Notable achievements include the construction of iconic monuments like the Qutub Minar and the establishment of a centralized administrative system. This historical period saw the fusion of Indo-Islamic culture, contributing to India's rich heritage. Today, the Delhi Sultanate continues to be a subject of academic and historical fascination, serving as a window into India's medieval past.

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