MEHRAULI RUINS

This tour, among the major monuments of the Mehrauli ruins, offers you to dive into the timeline of the history of Delhi. In the whole area managed by the NGO INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), there are about 70 buildings, 42 of which are restored and equipped with explanatory panels that allow a better understanding of the history of these stones. Mehrauli was founded in the 8th century by Anagpa I who built a fort there. The city developed all around gradually, with the passing of the conquests operated by various dynasties. Therefore, Mehrauli symbolizes the first capital of Delhi, when the Mameluke Qutubuddin crowned himself the first sultan in 1206. This route also invites you to cross the semi-rural village of Mehrauli. You will be greeted by a mostly Hindu population, who will be surprised to find visitors interested in these vestiges. You will have understood it, it is about a game of track out of the beaten tracks. Most of the ruins are located within the town itself, and are nestled in the alleys of the bazaar or hidden nearby.

As you leave Qutab Minar

, ask a rickshaw to take you to the entrance of Mehrauli village. If you don't like to walk, you can negotiate with the rickshaw for the rest of your journey.

At the entrance to Mehrauli,

on your right, is Bhulbhulaiyan, the octagonal sandstone tomb that Emperor Akbar had built in the late 16th century for Adham Khan, the son of one of his nannies. Why this gift? Perhaps out of a guilty conscience, because the emperor had provoked his death by pushing him from the top of the Red Fort. It is said that the ghost of Adhan Khan still haunts the place. According to the legend, he is the reason for the death of the British administrator who, in the 19th century, dared to set up his residence here and transform the tomb into a dining table!

Take on your left to go down to the Sukhi Baori also called Rajon Ji Baori. Thebaori

, which is now dry, was built on three levels in the early 16th century. It was intended to supply the city with water, as was the Gandhak Ki Baori, another five-story cistern located nearby.

Opposite Gandhak Ki Baoli, if you take the street that turns to the right, you will reach the shrine (dargah

) of Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. This complex also includes the tombs of Mughal emperors as well as the small mosque Moti Masjid. It is in this dargah that the colorful festival of Phool Walon Ki Sair ends. It is celebrated in the streets of Mehrauli for 3 days in September by the florists of Delhi.

Only men can enter beyond the openwork marble screens (jiali

), on which many pilgrims hang a colorful string and make a wish. If you see some of them untie the cotton strings, it means that their wish has been granted!

Goingdown a few hundred meters, at the eastern end of Mehrauli, you will discover a beautiful park and the mosque Jamali Kamali. It bears the name of a poet of the court of Lodi and the first moghuls. Jamali was in fact the pseudonym of the sheik Fazlullah, who was initiated into Sufism. In this sixteenth century mosque, there are still traces of blue faience above the entrance door. To the north, adjacent to the mosque, you will see the tomb of Jamali and probably that of Kamali, his brother. They are both richly decorated.

Nearby, you will find the ruins of the tomb of Sultan Balban (13th

century). Barely cleared of vegetation and although little remains, this structure is important. It is indeed one of the first major buildings built in India in Mughal style, with a monumental arch and a dome.

Then come back to the main street of Mehrauli

and cross its colorful bazaar! At the very end of the village, you will reach Hauz-i-Shamsi, a vast water reservoir of about 2 ha, representative of the water supply system of Delhi in the early 13th century. Legend has it that it was erected by Ilutmish following a dream in which the prophet Mohammed indicated this exact spot to him; this is why the water contained in this reservoir is considered sacred.

At the northeast corner of the reservoir is built the Jahaz Mahal, built during the period of the Lodi sultans. This monument is one of the points of passage of the festival of the florists. Its name means "the palace ship" because of the reflections of the water that seem to make it float. Its chhatri (domed kiosks) are typical of Rajhastan Indian architecture.

Taking the road that joins the Anuvrat Marg stands the Madhi Masjid mosque

. Set in its thick walls, it looks more like a small fortress. Certainly built between the Lodi and Mughal periods, it borrows its architectural style from both periods. It has, moreover, open arches on each of its sides; something unusual for a mosque. Its imposing stone portal of Hindu style (on its eastern side) and its two red stone windows give it a beautiful elegance. If your heart tells you and your legs allow you, the site still reserves many other discoveries. The visit will certainly have whetted your appetite, as it did ours! This is an opportunity to take a break at the Circa 1193 restaurant or in one of the establishments of the Crescent at the Qutab.