A Walk Around Sultan Ghari Complex

Set among the rocky spurs of the southern ridge, the tomb of Sultan Ghari and the ruins around it are of great historic signifi cance being the the oldest extant monumental tomb in Delhi, built in 1231–32. The tomb is that of Nasiruddin Mahmud, who died around AD 1229, the eldest son of Emperor Iltumish(r.1210–36) who was the second Slave Sultan of Delhi. The tomb represents the architectural style of the early Sultanate period, a time when Indian builders were coming to terms with new techniques and styles that had come into India with the Turk conquest. It is also distinctive in its form, with a sunken tomb chamber in the nature of a ghar or crypt, which gives the tomb its name. The tomb, particularly the grave inside, is revered by the local community who make ritual offerings and visit it in large numbers, particularly on Thursdays. There are several other buildings, some in ruins, around the main site. These include the tombs of two other sons of Iltutmish, Ruknuddin Firoz Shah and Muizzuddin Bahram Shah. Close by, there is a well of the Tughlaq period, a Tughlaq era mosque, and several residential clusters. The tomb of Sultan Ghari is enclosed within what is today designated as the Sultan Ghari Archaeological Park by the Delhi Development Authority, about 6 km west of the Qutb Minar Complex, on the Mehrauli-Palam Road.