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The Deccan sultanates were fiveearly modern kingdoms (Bijapur,Golkonda,Ahmadnagar,Bidar, andBerar) which ruled on theDeccan Plateau beginning in the late 15th century and lasting through the 17th century. The architecture the sultanates produced was a regional variant ofIndo-Islamic architecture, influenced by the styles of theDelhi Sultanate and laterMughal architecture.Persian andCentral Asian design features also feature in some structures. The sultanate styles differ greatly from those employed inHindu temple architecture in the same areas.
The rulers of the five Deccan sultanates established numerous contributions in the arts, music, literature and architecture. TheBidar andGolconda forts demonstrate how architecture factored into the military planning of the sultanates. Apart from forts, these regimes also constructed many tombs,mosques, andmadrasas.Gol Gumbaz (the tomb ofMohammed Adil Shah) was once the second largest dome in the world.[when?]
In 2014,UNESCO designated a group of buildings as tentativeWorld Heritage Sites under the name "Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate" (despite there being multiple sultanates), which included[1] the Bahmani and Barid Shahi Monuments atBidar (Karnataka), the Adil Shahi Monuments atBijapur (Karnataka), and Qutb Shahi Monuments atHyderabad (Telangana).
During Ahmadnagar rule, multiple palaces were constructed, and their ruins lie in and around Ahmadnagar city in the present-day. The Ahmadnagar also built tombs of nobles such as Salabat Khan and Changiz Khan, and saints such as Shah Sharif and Bava Bangali.[2]
Malik Ambar is credited with the construction of theJanjira Fort in the Murud Area of present-dayMaharashtra, India.[3] After its construction in 1567 CE, the fort was essential to the Sidis' withstanding various invasion attempts by the Marathas, Mughals, and Portuguese to capture Janjira.[4]
The Farah Bagh palace (also called Faria Bagh) is situated inAhmednagar,Maharashtra. It was built by Nizam Shahi rulers in Ahmednagar.[5][6][7]Farah Bagh was the centrepiece of a palatial complex completed in 1583 CE. It belonged to the royal household and MurtazaNizam Shah often retired here to play chess with a Delhi singer he called Fateh Shah. He also built the singer a separate palace called Lakad Mahal in the garden.[citation needed]
Prominent monuments inBijapur include the Gagan Mahal,Gol Gumbaz,Bijapur Fort, andIbrahim Rauza. Gol Gumbaz is the tomb ofMohammed Adil Shah and it contains the second-largest dome in the world constructed before the modern age. The external diameter of the hemispherical dome is 44 m. Ibrahim Rouza is the tomb ofIbrahim Adil Shah II and it is said to be one of the most beautiful monuments in Bijapur.
TheJami Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India having a courtyard of 11,000 square feet. Other architectural works from this period in Bijapur are theChini Mahal,Jal Mandir,Sat Manzil,Gagan Mahal,Anand Mahal, and theAsar Mahal (built in 1646 CE).[8]
Golkonda fort, built by the Qutb Shahi dynasty, has a reputation as one of the most impregnable forts in India, but it is also known for its acoustic features and water management systems.
The Jami Masjid, built byQuli Qutb Mulk in 1518 CE, is a notable mosque in Golkonda. Thetombs of Qutb Shahis are a mausoleum complex, a royal necropolis composed of 30 tombs of the royal family, erected between the years of 1543 and 1672 CE.
Char Minar, in centralHyderabad, was completed in 1591 CE, having four minarets with heights of 56 m. The construction of theMakkah Masjid was started in 1617 CE during the reign ofMuhammad Qutb Shah, the building was finally completed in 1693.[9]