The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c19.s7.5

c19.s7.5

Though himself illiterate, Ala-ud-din was a great patron of learning and fine arts. There were many first-rate poets and scholars at his court, including such literary lights as Amir Khusrav and Amir Hasan of Delhi. He was a lover of architecture and one of his buildings, known as *Alai Darwaza*, which is an extension of the Qutubi mosque in Delhi, is, in the eyes of critics, the most beautiful and perfect specimen of early Turkish architecture. He built palaces and mosques also, such as the fort of Siri and the 'Palace of a Thousand Pillars', called Hazar Situn.