Capital of the Delhi Sultanate

Timeline

1. 1211–1230Delhi · DelhiAfter consolidating the Mamluk regime, Iltutmish fixed the capital at Delhi, expanding the Qutb mosque complex and walls, establishing the center of the sultan's court, treasury, and military garrison, and replacing Lahore as the symbol of Islamic rule in North India.
2. 1231–1240Delhi · DelhiFrom Iltutmish's late years through Razia Sultana's brief reign, Delhi coordinated iqta fief taxes, war elephant corps, and frontier defense against the threat of Batu's southward Mongol invasion; the court's fatwa and administrative document systems made the city a model of Islamic governance in the subcontinent.
3. 1240–1290Delhi · DelhiBalban and other succeeding sultans further reinforced Delhi's defenses and expanded palaces and markets; as the iqta system matured, the capital's control over Bengal and Deccan frontier regions strengthened, and Delhi's status as the Sultanate capital continued until the Khalji dynasty moved the capital.