http://legacy.iranian.com/main/taxonomy/term/1849/0 From the fairyland airport of Faro, in the pristine Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, I flew over the lofty white peak of Mount Everest and landed in Delhi. Under the gray blanket of smog comprised of dust, car fumes, and smoke from the many open wood-fires that served as heaters for the poor on this cold late November evening, the capital of India palpated with the chaotic traffic of buses, carts, trucks, motorcycles, rickshaws, hand-pushed carts, and pedestrians who spilled over into the roads where the broken sidewalks ended unexpectedly. Nobody paid attention to the police at the intersections who flailed their arms to conduct the movements in directions which were blocked anyway ... more en http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109628 <p>Isa Khan’s Tomb was an innovation in Delhi with its octagonal shape which shows the influence of the 14th century Persian tombs with a similar plan.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109628#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:12 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109628 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109627 <p>... and Mosque are the earliest extant Mughal monuments in India. </p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109627#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:11 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109627 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109623 <p>... wall surrounding the Enclosure’s vast courtyard.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109623#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:10 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109623 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109625 <p>It had only a few visitors today. </p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109625#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:10 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109625 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109624 <p>Until the early 20th century a whole village existed here.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109624#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:10 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109624 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109626 <p>The Enclosure’s Tomb.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109626#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:10 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109626 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109618 <p>... and Jain temples arranged together, sometimes set upon another, in rows to support a roof. </p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109618#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:09 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109618 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109620 <p>The calligraphy I saw in the Quwwat-ul-Islam Complex also makes a contribution to understanding the history of Islamic Delhi. The earlier gateways to the Mosque, on the east and north, have inscribed lintels in Naksh, an Arabic script developed in the 10th century. </p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109620#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:09 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109620 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109622 <p>In search of the architectural traces of this influence, I went to Isa Khan’s Enclosure. I climbed one of the towers of the...</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109622#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:09 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109622 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109617 <p>Their arcades were made of columns from diverse Hindu...</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109617#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:09 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109617 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109619 <p>I joined a group of students visiting from the rural areas outside Delhi to explore the evidence for this progression of their architectural heritage. </p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109619#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:09 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109619 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109621 <p>However, the screen across the front of the Mosque built by Qutb’s successor in 1230 used the Arabic lettering which combined the later, more advanced heavy square Kufic and the intricately interwoven Tughra scripts.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109621#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:09 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109621 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109616 <p>The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque is a simple quadrangular court surrounded by pillared cloisters.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109616#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:08 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109616 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109613 <p>... hand-pushed carts, and pedestrians who spilled over into the roads where the broken sidewalks ended unexpectedly.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109613#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:08 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109613 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109615 <p>As recorded in the Mosque’s north gateway, its construction was completed within a mere six years after the Ghurs arrived. Not surprising in such urgent projects, the materials used for the mosque came from 27 demolished Hindu temples, as the main eastern entrance records.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109615#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:08 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109615 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109612 <p>...rickshaws...</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109612#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:08 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109612 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109614 <p>The subway construction was fenced off. Behind the tin fences there were shanty dwellings put up to house those who worked on the tracks.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109614#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:08 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109614 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109611 <p>The capital of India is palpated with the chaotic traffic of buses, carts, trucks, motorcycles...</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109611#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:07 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109611 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109610 <p>I flew over the lofty white peak of Mount Everest and landed in Delhi.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109610#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:07 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109610 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109609 <p>Fairyland airport of Faro in the pristine Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.</p> http://legacy.iranian.com/main/image/109609#comments Persian Delhi Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:19:06 +0000 Jahanshah Javid 109609 at http://legacy.iranian.com/main