ILTUTMISH'S TOM (CLOSE TO QUTAB MINAR), MEHRAULI, NEW DELHI

Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, or Altamash (r. 1211 - 1236) was the third Muslim Turkic sultan of the Sultanate of Delhi and the third ruler of the Mamluk dynasty (or Slave dynasty) (died 1236). He was a slave of Qutub-ud-din-Aybak and later became his son-in-law and close lieutenant. He was the Governor of Badaun when he deposed Qutub-ud-din's successor Aram Shah and acceeded to the throne of the Delhi Sultanate in 1211. He remained the ruler until his death in May 1, 1236.
He built the Hauz-i-Shamsi reservoir in Mehrauli in 1230 AD, which also has Jahaz Mahal standing on its edge, used by later Mughal Emperors. In 1231, he built Sultan Ghari, he built the mausoleum of his eldest son, Prince Nasiru'd-Din Mahmud, which was the first Islamic Mausoleum in Delhi. His own tomb exists, within the Qutb complex in Mehrauli, Delhi.

Iltutmish's mausoleum

Iltutmish's Tomb close to Qutub Minar, Delhi
In A.D. 1236 Iltumish died, and buried with the Qutb complex in Mehrauli.Iltutmish's eldest son, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, had died in 1229 while governing Bengal as his father's deputy. The surviving sons of the Sultan were incapable of the task of administration. In A.D. 1236 Iltutmish, on his death-bed, nominated his daughter Raziya as his heiress. But the nobles of the court were too proud to bow their heads before a woman, and disregarding the deceased Sultan's wishes, raised to the throne his eldest surviving son, Rukn-ud-din Firuz.The death of Iltutmish was followed by years of political instability at Delhi. During this period, four descendants of Iltutmish were put on the throne and murdered. Order was re-established only after Balban became the Naib or Deputy Sultan and later on Sultan in A.D. 1265.

The intricate interior of the Tomb of Iltutmish.

The central chamber is a 9 mt sq. and has squinches, suggesting the existence of a dome, which has since collapsed. The main cenotaph, in whilte marble is place on a raised platform in the centre of the chamber. The facade is known for its ornate carving, both at the entrance and the interior walls. The interior west wall has a prayer niche, mihrab decorated with marble, and a rich amalgamation of Hindu motives into Islamic architecture, such as bell-and-chain, tassel, lotus, diamond emblems.