The Delhi Sultanate
Five dynasties ruled from Delhi for three centuries, building the Qutb Minar and new cities, while Sufi saints and poets like Amir Khusrau shaped a shared culture.
How it was ruled
The Mamluk (Slave), Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties ruled from Delhi. Land revenue was assigned to officers as iqtas. Razia Sultan (1236–1240) was the only woman to rule from Delhi.
How people lived
Persian became the language of government; Hindavi (early Hindi-Urdu) grew in towns; Sufi saints such as Nizamuddin Auliya drew followers of all faiths.
What people did
Farming paid most taxes; Alauddin Khalji fixed market prices in Delhi; crafts, building and the army employed many.
What people ate
Breads and rice, meat dishes, sweets and sherbets; new dishes such as samosa (sambusa) appear in court records.
Trade
Trade through Gujarat and Bengal ports and overland to Central Asia; Mongol raids were repeatedly pushed back.
Region by region
- Delhi: The Qutb Minar and Alai Darwaza (Qutb complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Tughlaqabad and Firoz Shah Kotla.
- Maharashtra: Muhammad bin Tughlaq moved the capital to Daulatabad (Devagiri) in 1327 and soon moved it back.
- Uttar Pradesh: Jaunpur and Kara became provincial centres.
- Punjab and Haryana: The frontier against Mongol invasions; Panipat, where the Sultanate ended in 1526.
Key events
- 1206: Qutb-ud-din Aibak becomes the first Sultan
- 1308–1311: Malik Kafur's campaigns in the south
- 1398: Timur sacks Delhi
- 1526: Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat
Legacy
Indo-Islamic architecture, Hindustani music traditions linked to Amir Khusrau, and the Hindi-Urdu language.