Begumpur Mosque (Delhi)
The Begumpur Mosque ( Urdu : Begumpuri-Masjid ) is a courtyard mosque built under the Tughluq dynasty in the 14th century in the Jahanpanah district in the south of the Indian capital Delhi . Until the completion of the great Friday mosque ( Jama Masjid ) of Shah Jahans (around 1656/8) in the heart of the old town of Delhi, it was the largest mosque in the city in terms of area.
location
The Begumpur Mosque is located about two kilometers northeast of the Qutub complex . The Khirki Mosque is about one and a half kilometers southeast.
Building history
The mosque was possibly founded around the year 1351 by Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul Tilangani, called Malik Maqbul , the vizier or "First Minister" of Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351-1388), the fourth sultan of the Tughluq dynasty. However, the son of the vizier Juna Shah is also an option; in this case the mosque would have to be dated about 25 years later (i.e. around 1375/80). Both the sultan and his vizier - born as a Hindu but converted to the Islamic faith - and his son distinguished themselves as builders of several mosques and tombs. In the past centuries the mosque deteriorated; it is in great need of restoration.
architecture
The eastern porch of the Begumpur Mosque protrudes far from the mosque front; its architecture with the sloping outer walls refers to typical buildings of the Tughluq period (e.g. Lal Gumbaz ). It has three smaller entrance portals on all sides. The window openings - which are superfluous in a courtyard mosque - are remarkable. The Begumpur Mosque is an almost square complex with a side length of about 90 × 94 meters (outside) and about 75 × 80 meters (inside). As is usual with most of the Middle East and Persian-Indian mosques, only the - three-row - prayer hall and the arcades ( riwaqs ) surrounding the courtyard are roofed - here with a multitude of domes. Such an open construction method is disadvantageous in the case of intense solar radiation or the often heavy rainfall of the monsoon season .
A high arch ( Pischtak ), which is wide open to the mosque courtyard and accompanied by two lateral mock minarets , which is structured like a triumphal arch in its portal zone , forms the main entrance to the prayer hall, the central area of which is spanned by a high dome - resting on trumpets in the corners . The central mihrab niche is multi-tiered compared to the side niches; Today, this is the only decoration of the entire room, the arcades and battlements of which - partly equipped with double pillars - appear massive and block-like. At the time the mosque was built, the prayer hall was plastered and - at least partially - painted.
See also
The Atala Mosque and the Friday Mosque in the city of Jaunpur, about 800 km to the southeast, are the architectural successors of the Begumpur Mosque .
literature
- Martin Frishman, Hassan-Uddin Khan (ed.): The mosques of the world. Campus-Verlag, Frankfurt / New York 2002, ISBN 3-89340-024-9 . P. 164.
- R. Nath: History of Sultanate Architecture. Abhinav Publications, New Delhi 1978
Web links
- Begumpur Mosque - Information (Archnet, Engl.)
- Begumpur Mosque and Khirki Masjid - Photos and information (Engl.)
Coordinates: 28 ° 32 ′ 21 ″ N , 77 ° 12 ′ 23 ″ E