Indian History Part 60 Section II The Caliphate and the Sultanate – Debating the Relationship

Canberra, 5 December 2014   The status of Delhi Sultanate vis-à-vis the Caliphate in Baghdad and the relationship that existed between the two continues to be open to a number of interpretations. Some of these interpretations are provided by few well-known historians, but with superficial proof and therefore do not stand the test of investigation. […]

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Indian History Part 54 The Slave Dynasty Section IV: A Queen Reigns

  Canberra, 14 November 2016 Qutb ud-Din Aibak and Balban (not yet part of this narrative) were actual ‘ghulams’ or slaves who had been manumitted earlier to their becoming ruling monarchs. The rest of the sultans who ruled Delhi and are counted as belonging to the so-called ‘Slave Dynasty’ were never slaves, but born as […]

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Indian History Part 54 The Slave Dynasty Section III The Story of the Qutb Minar

Canberra, 30 October 2016 The name Qutb Minar in Delhi is spelt in many different ways: Qutub Minar, Qutab Minar, Kutub Minar, Kutb Minar and also as one word Qutubminar. This document will use the most common one, Qutb Minar. Ancient monuments provide the researcher with reliable information regarding the early conditions of a particular […]

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Indian History Part 54 The Slave Dynasty Section II Shams ud-Din Iltutmish

  Canberra, 12 October 2016 Qutb ud-Din Aibak’s untimely death caused a great deal of confusion amongst his followers. In Lahore, the officials placed his son Aram Shah on the throne, but the courtiers in Delhi refused to accept or support the new ruler. Aram Shah was generally considered to be weak, indecisive and unfit […]

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