The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c19.s7.4

c19.s7.4

Ala-ud-din may be called the first Turkish empire-builder in this country. Turkish imperialism reached its highest watermark under this ruler. While all his predecessors, including Balban, had shrunk from the task of defending the Sultanate of Delhi from the ever-recurring Mongol invasions and, at the same time, carrying on aggressive warfare in the interior of the country, Ala-ud-din successfully accomplished this twofold task. This alone entitles this Khalji ruler to a place higher than that occupied by any of his predecessors in the thirteenth century. He may, therefore, rightly be called the first Turkish emperor of India. Throughout his reign the country enjoyed complete peace and order. Brigandage was stamped out. "Justice was executed with such rigour that robbery and theft, formerly so common, were not heard of in the land. The traveller slept secure on the highway and the merchant carried his commodities with safety from the Sea of Bangal to the mountains of Kabul and from Telingana to Kashmir."