Delhi Sultanate architecture

Timeline

1. 1192–1230Qutb complex · MehrauliConstruction began on the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and the Qutb Minar, incorporating repurposed Hindu temple components, establishing an early paradigm combining pointed arcades, colonnades, and minarets.
2. 1290–1315Delhi · DelhiWorks such as the Alai Darwaza under Alauddin Khalji display more refined domes, horseshoe arches, and geometric stucco decoration, marking the Indo-Islamic style's technical and aesthetic maturation.
3. 1320–1526North India · North IndiaFiroz Shah Tughlaq and the Lodi rulers built mosques, madrasas, and tombs in Delhi, Punjab, and elsewhere, developing stucco decoration and octagonal tomb plans as typical forms.
4. 1526–1700Indian subcontinent · IndiaMughal architects inherited the Sultanate period's arches, domes, and red sandstone tradition, and on this basis developed works on a grander scale such as the Taj Mahal, forming a continuous architectural lineage.