5/5 Anand Kumar M. 3 years ago on Google
Ala'i
Darwaza
(English:
Gate
of
Alauddin)
is
the
southern
gateway
of
the
Quwwat-ul-Islam
Mosque
in
Qutb
complex,
Mehrauli,
Delhi,
India.
Built
by
Sultan
Alauddin
Khalji
in
1311
and
made
of
red
sandstone,
it
is
a
square
domed
gatehouse
with
arched
entrances
and
houses
a
single
chamber.
Alai
Darwaza
Native
name
Urdu:
علاء
دروازه
Alai
Darwaza.JPG
Alai
Darwaza
Location
Qutb
Minar
complex,
Delhi,
India
Coordinates
28.5242°N
77.1857°E
Built
1311
UNESCO
World
Heritage
Site
Type
Cultural
Criteria
iv
Designated
1993
(17th
session)
Part
of
Qutb
Minar
and
its
monuments
State
Party
India
Region
India
Alai
Darwaza
is
located
in
IndiaAlai
Darwaza
Location
of
Alai
Darwaza
in
India
It
has
a
special
significance
in
Indo-Islamic
architecture
as
the
first
Indian
monument
to
be
built
using
Islamic
methods
of
construction
and
ornamentation
and
is
a
World
Heritage
Site.[1]
Background Edit
The
Alai
Darwaza
was
built
by
Sultan
Alauddin
Khalji
of
the
Khalji
dynasty
in
1311.
It
was
a
part
of
his
plan
to
extend
the
Quwwat-ul-Islam
Mosque
on
four
sides.
Although
he
planned
to
construct
four
gates,
only
the
Alai
Darwaza
could
be
completed
as
he
died
in
1316.[2]
It
serves
as
the
southern
gateway
of
the
mosque.[1]
It
is
located
at
the
southern
part
of
the
Qutb
complex.[2]
In
1993,
the
Darwaza
and
the
other
monuments
of
the
complex
were
designated
a
World
Heritage
Site.[3]
Architecture Edit
The
Alai
Darwaza
is
made
up
of
a
single
hall
whose
interior
part
measures
34.5
feet
(10.5
m)
and
exterior
part
measures
56.5
feet
(17.2
m).[2]
It
is
60
feet
(18
m)
tall
and
the
walls
are
11
feet
(3.4
m)
thick.[4]
The
gatehouse,
from
1311,
still
shows
a
cautious
approach
to
the
new
technology,
with
very
thick
walls
and
a
shallow
dome,
only
visible
from
a
certain
distance
or
height.
Bold
contrasting
colours
of
masonry,
with
red
sandstone
and
white
marble,
introduce
what
was
to
become
a
common
feature
of
Indo-Islamic
architecture,
substituting
for
the
polychrome
tiles
used
in
Persia
and
Central
Asia.
The
pointed
arches
come
together
slightly
at
their
base,
giving
a
mild
horseshoe
arch
effect,
and
their
internal
edges
are
not
cusped
but
lined
with
conventionalized
"spearhead"
projections,
possibly
representing
lotus
buds.
Net,
stone
openwork
screens,
are
introduced
here;
they
already
had
been
long
used
in
temples.[5]
The
height
of
the
dome
is
47
feet
(14
m).[2]
It
is
the
first
true
dome
built
in
India,
as
previous
attempts
to
construct
a
true
dome
were
not
successful.[2]
The
entire
Darwaza
is
made
up
of
red
sandstone
with
white
coloured
marbles
inlaid
on
the
exterior
walls.[6]
There
is
extensive
Arabic
calligraphy
on
the
walls
of
the
Darwaza.
The
arches
are
horseshoe
shaped,[4]
the
first
time
such
arches
were
used
in
India.
The
façade
has
pre-Turkish
carvings
and
patterns.[2]
The
windows
have
marble
lattices.
Surface
decoration
consists
of
interweaved
floral
tendrils
and
is
repeated
with
a
symmetry
on
three
doorways.[2][7]
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