Delhi Sultanate Administrative System

Timeline

1. 1206–1320Delhi Sultanate center · DelhiThe early sultanate granted iqta (military fiefs) to the provinces, with muqtis responsible for tax collection, maintaining troops, and remitting a share to the center, forming a hierarchical governance structure of sultan–vizier–local governor.
2. 1351–1388Firozabad (Delhi) · DelhiFiruz Shah Tughlaq fixed iqta shares and improved land registration and tax records; administration was relatively stable between 1381 and 1388; after the sultan's death in 1388, succession disputes exposed the system's vulnerability to strongman rule.
3. 1388–1526Delhi Sultanate territories in northern India · IndiaAfter 1388 the Tughlaq dynasty was wracked by internal strife, local iqta holders grew powerful, and central control over the provinces weakened; under the Lodi dynasty the system continued in form but real power was dispersed, until the Mughals replaced it in 1526.