MOSQUES BY SAYYIDS AND LODHIS

BY AASHNA KATHPALIA UJJAWAL TYAGI VARUN SINGH VIVEK CHAUDHARY AJIT RAO

INTRODUCTION
The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate . They succeeded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled that sultanate until they were displaced by the Lodi dynasty. This family claimed to be Sayyids, or descendants of Prophet Muhammad. The central authority of the Delhi Sultanate had been fatally weakened by the successive invasion of Timur and his sack of Delhi in 1398. The sack of delhi by Timur left the sultanate with little resources and less prestige and for many years the building art in the region of the capital is represented almost entirely by tombs In the sphere of architecture it was a period of the Maqbarah, the Arabic word for cemetery. Perhaps no other time has the tomb been more manifest in the consciousness of the people the people than during the rule of the Sayyids and Lodis. Delhi was considered the most appropriate site on which such buildings should be erected. Large tombs therefore arose within its neighborhood, so much so that in the course of time the country around the capital was converted into the vast necropolis.

MOSQUE ATTACHED TO THE BARA GUMBAD (1494)

The Bara Gumbad ("Big Dome"), it consists of a large rubbleconstruct dome, it is not a tomb but a gateway to an attached a three domed masjid (mosque) The Friday mosque, completed in 1494, is the first example of the new mosque type that developed during the Lodi era. Characterized by a relatively simple five bay prayer hall building adjacent to a simple open courtyard, this type was an important precedent for mosque architecture in the Lodi and Mughal eras. The Friday mosque is a single aisled, rectangular building, approx. 30 meters (north-south) by 8 meters (east-west). The mosque is organized in five unequal bays, which correspond to the five arched doorways on the eastern (entry) elevation. The width of the arched doorways decreases from the center towards the sides. The arches span across grey granite piers.

Arches in doorways and walkways of the BARA GUMBAD MOSQUE

Interior view of the mosque

 The central arch is framed within a projecting rectangular portal, measuring about 8 meters in height by 6 meters wide. The piers of the rectangular frame are cased in dressed granite and have three shallow arched niches in red sandstone, occurring vertically above the springing point of the arch, on either side. The doorway itself is described by four receding planes of ogee arches, the outermost one being in line with the external face of the rectangular portal. The doorways immediately to the side of the central portal are about 5 meters wide, while those at the two ends are approx. 1.5 meters wide with two receding planes of ogee arches, adding to the prominence of the central doorway. The apex of each innermost arch is constant, measuring approx. 5 meters from the top of the platform. Each arch is finished in plaster and embellished with intricate carved Arabic inscriptions. The spandrels are also heavily carved with geometric motifs, and their the corners are adorned with round inscribed plaster medallions. Red sandstone eaves (chajjas) on stone brackets top the arches, interrupted only by the central projecting portal that extends above them. There is a blank plastered frieze above the eaves, followed by the projecting horizontal bands of the cornice that is topped by a blind masonry parapet adorned with petal shaped crenellations with inscribed plaster medallions.

MOTH KI MASJID
Built by Miyan Bhuwa, a minister during the reign of Sikandar Lodi (151726) in the early 16th century. Located behind one of the modern localities of the capital, South Extension Part II. Situated in the village named Masjid Moth,

The mosque has the rather unusual name of Moth-ki-Masjid, for according to legend, Miyan Bhuwa built this mosque from the revenue earned by producing a large crop from just a single grain of moth, a kind of lentil. His grain was presented to him by Sikandar Lodi himself.
The minister produced many more seeds from that one seed and over a period of time raised a large enough crop to construct this mosque with its revenue. Raised on a platform This three-domed mosque is considered an important milestone in the growth of Mughal architecture, especially in regard to the ornamentation of mosques, because of its special features.

Arches inside and at the gates of MOTH KI MASJID

The mosque has an impressive red sandstone gateway on the eastern side The prayer chamber of the mosque has five arched openings, all of which are beautifully ornamented, including the mihrab, which has Quranic inscriptions in Naskh characters. Special treatment has been done to the central arch built of red sandstone by decorating it with marble. Double storeyed towers with arched openings at the rear ends of the roof and domed octagonal chhatris on the corresponding walls.

JAMALI KAMALI MASJID(1536)

Built during the region of humayun,the second of the mughal emperors Finer ashlar masonry inspite of rubble and plaster construction

Richly with stuccowork

The prayer hall of the mosque has five arched openings with the central arch higher than the rest and is aesthetically carved with fluted pilasters flanking it The western wall of the mosque has niches decorated with Quranic inscriptions. Narrow gallery running around the mosque on the second storey with three oriel windows. The faade of the prayer hall is decorated by pendant lotus-buds and can be seen below the parapet. Octagonal towers at the rear corners of the mosque and only a single dome surmounts the central bay.

Arches of JAMALI KAMALI MOSQUE

Interior view of Mosque

Courtyard surrounding the Mosque

QILA I-KUHANA (1550)

The single-domed Qila-i-Kuna Mosque, built by Sher Shah in 1541. It is a large, single-aisled mosque that would have served as the sultan's Jami, or Friday mosque. It is an excellent example of a pre-Mughal design, and an early example of the extensive use of the pointed arch in the region as seen in its five doorways with the 'true' horseshoe-shaped arches.

The prayer hall inside, the single-aisled mosque, measures 51.20m by 14.90m and has five elegant arched prayer niches or mihrabs set in its western wall. It is richly decorated, with calligraphy, coloured stones, and elaborate carvings on both the exterior and interior surfaces.

Mihrab arches

The mosque was greatly admired by the Mughals, who were to look to it for details of ornamentation and construction. Marble in shades of red, white and slate is used for the calligraphic inscriptions on the central iwan, marks a transition from Lodhi to Mughal architecture . A second storey, accessed through staircases from the prayer hall, with a narrow passage running along the rectangular hall, provided space for female courtiers to pray, while the arched doorway on the left wall, framed by ornate jharokas, was reserved for members of the royal family.

Windows at QILA- I - KUNHA

BIDYAH MOSQUE, FUZAIRAH

During the 15th century, when the Indian as well as central Asian architecture got its prominent development in the in the Islamic architecture and when other cities were at the height of their structural zenith, the city like Fujairah in the Arabian gulf was still in the stage of development and mud structure was in practice for the construction of secular and religious building. The mosque called AL-BIDYAH MOSQUE is a living mosque under the government of Fujairah, UAE coated with many layers of mud plaster. The date of its construction may be fixed as early as 1441 AD on its stylistic ground within practice at the Arabian gulfs region in 15th century AD. At its one side it is surrounded with lofty mountains while at its other end, there is a vast Arabian sea. The structure of the mosque is simple, small and single storey. There is a horizontal covered room of 12x18 feet, provided with an arch shaped, prayed Ivan (chamber) for the imam and few niches at the wall of prayer chamber.

An open verandah or livan is also there as an open space within the boundary of the mosque. The boundary is 3 feet high made of stone, plastered with a thick layer of mud. Outside the boundary of the mosque, there is a well provided with an iron bucket dole. The uniqueness of the mosque lies in the simplicity and use of mud for plastering purpose, in 15th century AD, when Islamic mosque architecture was in full swing of development.