1959-62 Survey

This beautiful building, constructed with the prolific use of red sandstone, consists of three cojoined rooms with a facade of three arches, one for each of the rooms, opening out on the eastern side. The central chamber has a comparatively flat dome and a square plan, with a miḥrāb on the western wall and two blind arches on either side of it. Two latticed windows flank the central archway on the eastern side, and corridors on the northern and southern sides of the main chamber connect it to the adjoining rooms. The area around the miḥrāb and the corner squinches are richly decorated with patterns and inscriptions, as is the outer section of the eastern doorway. This is characteristic of Period I. The adjoining rooms are rectangular in plan and are each further divided by an archway. Each portion is topped with a small dome. Unlike the central chamber, these rooms are undecorated and today are completely covered in whitewash.

Various traditions exist relating to the history of this mosque, and many different opinions are held. It is thought to have been built in the latter half of the early Delhi Sultanate, in connection with the religious activities of the Sufi saint Niẕẓām al-Dīn Auwliyā’ (1236-1325). It is still used as a place of worship. The interior has been completely renovated and painted. The shrine (dargāh) of Niẕẓām al-Dīn Auwliyā’ is a popular place of pilgrimage, and is one of the most famous shrines in India.

ジャマート=ハーナ(Jamā‘at Khānah )として知られており,ニザームッディーン・オーリヤー(Niẕām al-Dīn Auliyā)の墓のすぐ西側にある。附図.I-9
この建物は,赤い砂岩を豊富に用いた美しいモスクで,東側にそれぞれ入口を開く三つの部屋からなっている。中央の部屋は,比較的平坦なドームをいただく四角の平面をもっており,西側には,中央ミフラーブとそれをはさんで二つの龕が設けられている。東側には,入口の左右に窓があけられ,南側と北側には,側室に通じるそれぞれ二つの通路が開かれている。中央ミフラーブの周辺や四隅のスクィンチアーチには,東側の入口外部と同じように,碑文と文様がほどこされ,第I期の特徴をよく示している。南北の側室は,長方形の平面をもっており,いずれもアーチによって二つの部分に仕切られ,それぞれ二つのドームをのせている。これらの側室は,中央の部屋と異なって,装飾にとぼしく,現在では,白い塗装が全面にほどこされている。
このモスクの建設の歴史については,さまざまの伝承が伝えられ,また,異なった見解が述べられているが,おそらくは,ニザームッディーン・オーリヤーの宗教活動に関連して,デリー諸王朝時代の初期の後半に建てられたものと思われる。このモスクは,今日もなお,礼拝の場として使用されており,内部には,随所に改変や彩色がほどこされている。とくに,ニザームッディーン・オーリヤーのダルガーは,インド有数のムスリムの聖地としてひろく知られているので,イスラームの祭日には,ダルガーをおとずれる信徒でにぎわっている。第Ⅰ期。
東研.Ⅲ-7;ASI.Ⅱ-200

2015-18 Survey

In 2015, the central domed room was under reconstruction by the Aga Khan Fund, and scaffolding covered the inside of the dome. The changes from 1959-62 are as follows: the interiors of the rooms on either side have been covered with additional white stucco, the patterns at the top of the domes have been painted in colors, the north room has become a room for women, and the back of the south room has become a storage space. The facade has been thickly painted in red, white, and green. The interior of the large domed room has similarly been painted over, but some paint has been removed during the repairs to expose the red sandstone surfaces around the dome.

[Paragraphs 2,3,4 of the 2015-18 Survey description have been translated with DeepL]

[This is the first mosque in Delhi to have a large dome, constructed entirely of red sandstone. It is the first mosque with a large dome in Delhi and is built entirely of red sandstone. The walled dome is centered in a long, narrow room that runs north-south. The north-south room has two small domes in succession on the east and west sides, with a long depth and a large arch opening on the east side.

[The red sandstone masonry of the exterior walls alternates between thick and thin layers. On the east face, the central large arch protrudes in front and above the other walls and is framed by a U-shaped frame with a band pattern centered on the inscription. The large arch is doubled over columns of varying cross-sections, each extrados with inscriptions and characteristic polyvalent lance-shaped decorations. The opening has beams over the columns and the mochifus, with a jali at the top and a door at the bottom, and a fitted jali inserted on either side of the central arch. The listed line of the beams is segmented across the entire side wall, and this technique is derived from Hindu architecture. At both ends, the entire surface of the large decorative arch is opened up to create an ewaan-like space with a low jali barrier at the bottom. The central dome is a dome with a 24-square drum with a polyvalent top ornament turned around it, and a special jewel with a cylindrical top ornament turned around it at the apex of the dome. The four drums on either side are circular, with dish-shaped domes and similar beads.

[The 16-square arch leads to an octagonal shape, which is then turned into a 16-square by a carriage, and then into a 32-square by a dome. At the base of the dome, 32 arcades are expressed in masonry, with four openings on the east, west, south, north and west sides. The masonry inside the dome alternates thick and thin layers as in T6 and T8. The squinch arch section has five layers of arches, each extrados with inscriptions and characteristic polyvalent spear-shaped decoration.

Map Reference: Grid ref. I-9; Ill. 11-12a.

IOC Reference: M02, III-7

ASI Reference: ASI II-200.

Archived IOC Site Record: https://perma.cc/X67D-MCA4

Mission Credit Line : Mission for Indian History and Archaeology, University of Tokyo, in 1959-60 , 1961-62: the Resurvey of the Delhi Monuments, Research and Information Center for Asian Studies, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo in 2015-18.