Mehrauli Archaeological Park

The park contains over 100 historically significant monuments. It is the only area in Delhi known for 1,000 years of continuous occupation. It includes the ruins of Lal Kot, built by the Tomar Rajputs in 1060 CE, making it the oldest extant fort of Delhi, and architectural relics of subsequent periods: the rule of the Khalji dynasty, the Tughlaq dynasty, the Lodhi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal Empire, and the British Raj.

The park holds key milestones in the history of South Asian architecture. It is home to the tomb of Ghiyas ud-din Balban. This tomb features the earliest surviving true arch and true dome in the Indian Subcontinent. You can also find early pre-Mughal mosque architecture at the Jamali Kamali complex. The site includes elaborate underground stepwells like Gandhak ki Baoli and Rajon ki Baoli. Since 1997, three main organizations have managed and conserved the area. The three main organizations are Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and INTACH.

Overview

The park contains significant sites including:

• Tomb of Balban, c. 1287 CE, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India
• Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh), built 1526 - 1535 CE
• Quli Khan's Tomb
• Gandhak ki Baoli
• Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and
• Madhi Masjid.

Other nearby monuments include the Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Pillars and remains of several monuments, Jharna which is like a pleasure garden of late Mughals are also lay scattered in the park.