Development of Mosque Architecture in Delhi: Early Islamic to Late Mughal Period

Mosque is a social and religious center for the Muslims and it is a place of assembly for the Muslims five times a day. Being an essential structure of Muslim societies and being a place of worship, mosques have extraordinarily been outstanding examples of architectural beauty throughout. The first mosque built by prophet was austere, strictly functional and sober, but with the spread of Islam, mosque architecture with regional accents in different countries reflected diversity in its design as well as style. In India the early mosques were built in the south, on Malabar Coast and in the west, the Indus region. However the prolific development of mosque architecture was started only after the arrival of Muslims as rulers in North India. Delhi, being the first confronter and epicenter of Muslims rule throughout ages, reflects the continuity in the development of mosque architecture in North India. This paper reveals the architectural development of mosques in Delhi which consequently reflects the notion of growth of mosque architecture in North India as a whole.