5/5 Md A. 4 years ago on Google • 76 reviews
Hauz
Khas
Complex
Eastern
limb
of
the
madrasa
from
the
tomb
Northern
limb
of
the
madrasa
starting
with
the
tomb
of
Feruz
Shah
and
ending
in
a
mosque,
with
reservoir
in
the
foreground
Hauz
Khas
Complex in Hauz
Khas, South
Delhi
houses
a
water
tank,
an Islamic
seminary,
a mosque,
a tomb
and
pavilions
built
around
an
urbanized
village
with
medieval
history
traced
to
the
13th
century
of Delhi
Sultanate
reign. It
was
part
of Siri,
the
second
medieval
city
of
India
of
the
Delhi
Sultanate
of Alauddin
Khalji
Dynasty
(1296–1316). The
etymology
of
the
name
Hauz
Khas
in Farsi
is
derived
from
the
words
‘Hauz’:
"water
tank"
(or
lake)
and
‘Khas’:"royal"-
the
"Royal
tank".
The
large
water
tank
or
reservoir
was
first
built
by Allauddin
Khilji
(the
plaque
displayed
at
the
site
records
this
fact)
to
supply
water
to
the
inhabitants
of
Siri.The
tank
was
de–silted
during
the
reign
of Firuz
Shah
Tughlaq
(1351–88).
Several
buildings
(Mosque
and madrasa)
and
tombs
were
built
overlooking
the
water
tank
or
lake.
Firuz
Shah's
tomb
pivots
the
L–shaped
building
complex
which
overlooks
the
tank.
In
the
1980s,
Hauz
Khas
Village,
studded
with
domed
tombs
of Muslim
royalty
from
the
14th
to
16th
centuries,
was
developed
as
an
upper
class
residential
cum
commercial
area
in
the metropolis
of South
Delhi,
India.
It
is
now
a
relatively
expensive
tourist
cum
commercial
area
with
numerous
art
galleries,
upscale
boutiques
and
restaurants.
History
The
water tank
that
was
built
during
[Alauddin
Khalji]‘s
reign
(1296–1316)
in
the
second
city
of
Delhi
to
meet
the
water
supply
needs
of
the
newly
built
fort
at
Siri,
was
originally
known
as
Hauz-i-Alai
after
Khalji.
But Firuz
Shah
Tughlaq
(1351–88)
of
the Tughlaq
Dynasty
re–excavated
the
silted
tank
and
cleared
the
clogged
inlet
channels.
The
tank
was
originally
of
about
50 ha
(123.6
acres)
area
with
dimensions
of
600 m
(1,968.5 ft)
width
and
700 m
(2,296.6 ft)
length
with
4 m
(13.1 ft)
depth
of
water.
When
built,
its
storage
capacity
at
the
end
of
each monsoon
season
was
reported
to
be
0.8
Mcum.
Now
the
tank
size
has
substantially
reduced
due
to
encroachment
and
siltation
but
is
well
maintained
in
its
present
state
(pictured).
HauzKhas
Lake
in
foggy
winter
sunrise
Feruz
Shah
who
ruled
from
his
new
city
called
the Firozabad
(now
known
as Feroz
Shah
Kotla)
–
the
fifth
city
of
Delhi
–
was
an
enlightened
ruler.
He
was
known
for
"his
keen
sense
of
historical
precedent,
statements
of
dynastic
legitimacy
and
the
power
of
monumental
architecture".
He
is
credited
with
construction
of
new
monuments
(several
mosques
and
palaces)
in
innovative
architectural
styles,
irrigation
works
and
renovating/restoring
old
monuments
such
as
the Qutub
Minar, Sultan
Ghari and Suraj
Kund,
and
also
erecting
two
inscribed Ashokan
Pillars
,
which
he
had
transported
from Ambala
and Meerut
in
Delhi.
At
Hauz
Khas,
he
raised
several
monuments
on
the
southern
and
eastern
banks
of
the
reservoir.
The
Hauz
Khas
or
the
Royal
Tank
as
revived
now
Recent
lake
restoration
efforts.
Loved
this
place
❤❤❤❤❤
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