Khan-i Jahan Maqbul Tilangani Mausoleum

Delhi, India

Maqbul Khan or Khan-i Jahan Tilangani was the prime minister (wazir) of Firuz Shah Tughluq (reg. 1351-1388) of the Tughluqid sultanate of Delhi. Built in 1388, his tomb was the first octagonal mausoleum to be built in Delhi. The only other octagonal mausoleum that predates this tomb in the Indian subcontinent is the Tomb of Shah Rukn-i Alam in Multan.

The mausoleum occupies the northwestern corner of the Nizamuddin Complex. The plan is composed of an octagonal burial chamber wrapped by a larger octagonal veranda. The veranda has three arched openings on each side, with a finial bearing cupola crowning the central arches. A large raised dome sits on top of the central chamber. While the parapet wall of the veranda is articulated with crenellations, a slanting stone overhang (chajja) runs beneath it, encasing all sides of the structure.

The main entry to the structure is through the central arch of its south façade. The walls of the chamber are substantially thick. The mihrab is set in a stepped niche on the west wall of the chamber. A stairwell leading to the crypt below is also built into the western wall and accessed from inside a doorway. A large rectangular sarcophagus sits centered in the chamber beneath the dome in a two tiered arrangement.

Sources:

Bunce, Fredrick W. Islamic Tombs in India: The Iconography and Genesis of Their Design. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld, 2004. 52-55.

Sharma, Y.D. Delhi and its Neighbourhood. New Delhi: Directory General Archaeological Survey of India, 2001. 27, 118.