Sultanate architecture — features & firsts
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UPSC Prelims tests Sultanate architecture through identification questions (building → builder/period), feature-matching (arch types, materials, decorative elements), and comparative analysis with later Mughal styles. Examiners focus on Delhi Sultanate monuments (Qutb Minar, Alai Darwaza) and regional sultanate contributions (Bahmani, Gujarat). Common mistake: conflating Sultanate with Mughal features or attributing all Indo-Islamic structures to Mughals.
Qutb Minar — first Indo-Islamic tower, five storeys, red sandstone
Corbelled arch — Hindu cantilever adapted, not true arch
Jali screens — latticed windows, Persian-Islamic intro
Pointed arch & vault — Islamic structural hallmarks
Sultanate firsts: mosque, minaret, tomb in Indian subcont.