(r. 1628–58) built Delhi’s most spectacular Isl-
amicate urban complex, which he called Shahja-
hanabad (Shah Jahan City). It was located north
of the previous city sites, on the west bank of
the Yamuna.
Among Delhi’s most important Islamic monu-
ments are the Qutb Minar complex, comprised
of a towering minaret and the Quwwat al-Islam
communal mosqUe. Construction of these build-
ings began in 1193 and continued intermittently
for several centuries. They were built where a
Hindu temple once stood and incorporate sec-
tions from the temple walls and local architec-
tural features, symbolically demonstrating both
that the Hindu religion was being subordinated
to Islam and that Islam was adapting itself to its
Indian environment. About three miles north-
east of this site, Sultan Ala al-Din Muhammad
Khilji (r. 1296–1316) built the fortress city of
Siri, near which the Chishti saint nizam al-din
aWliya (d. 1325) located his mosque and Sufi
hospice. Nizam al-Din’s shrine is still considered
to be one of the most sacred centers in Delhi for
Indian Muslims. Other rulers sponsored the con-
struction of communal mosques, domed tombs,
and religious schools, which combined Middle
Eastern architectural traditions with indigenous
ones. At Shahjahanabad, the most impressive
structures that still stand are the Jama Masjid, the
largest communal mosque in India, and the Red
Fort, with its palaces, gardens, kiosks, audience
halls, administrative offices, and private mosque
for the ruler.
Delhi was besieged by British forces during
the 1857 rebellion, and significant areas of the
city were razed to the ground. The British not
only eradicated the mUghal dynasty but also
rebuilt the city to serve their needs as India’s new
sovereigns. Military cantonments were situated
in strategic areas, and a residential neighborhood
known as the Civil Lines for British administra-
tors was established on the north side of Shah-
jahanabad. This is where Delhi University was
also built early in the 20th century. New Delhi,
designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker
to be the capital of British India after 1911, is
distinguished by a dazzling complex of Mughal–
British-style government buildings, monuments,
gardens, and a central business district. In addi-
tion to serving the practical purposes of govern-
ment, it was also intended to symbolize Britain’s
political and cultural mastery over India. Today,
it is where the official business of an independent
India is conducted. The residence of the former
British viceroy is now where India’s president
conducts official receptions. The Indian parlia-
ment is located nearby in the same complex of
buildings.
Delhi has functioned as a center of Islamic
religion and culture through much of its history.
In addition to Nizam al-Din Awliya, other famous
Muslims who were born there or who spent sig-
nificant parts of their life there were the Chishti
saints Qutb al-Din Bakhtiyar Kaaki (d. 1235)
and Nasir al-Din Chiragh-i Dihli (d. 1356); the
great Indo-Persian poet Amir Khusraw (d. 1325);
the Mughal prince and student of Muslim and
Hindu philosophy and mysticism dara shikoh (d.
1659); Dara’s sister Jahanara, also a Sufi devotee
(d. 1681); the early modern revivalist Shah Wali
Allah (d. 1762); the religious reformer sayyid
ahmad khan (d. 1898); and the renowned Urdu
poets ghalib (d. 1869) and Altaf Husayn Hali (d.
1914). Delhi is also the location of the official
memorials for many of modern India’s great non-
Muslim leaders, such as mohandas k. gandhi (d.
1947), Jawaharlal Nehru (d. 1964), and Indira
Gandhi (d. 1984).
See also architectUre; chishti sUFi order;
cities; hindUism and islam.Further reading: Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom,
The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250–1800 (New
Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1994); William
Dalrymple, City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi (London:
Penguin, 2003); R. E. Frykenberg, ed., Delhi through the
Ages: Essays in Urban History, Culture, and Society (New
York: Oxford University Press, 1986).K 188 Delhi