ARCHITECTURE AND ARISTOCRACY: THE CULTURAL EXPRESSION OF THE SULTANATE NOBILITY IN MEDIEVAL INDIA

RAFIA ASHRAF BHAT , TARIQ AHMAD SHEIKH , AMITA GUPTA

The Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526) marked a transformative era in India’s architectural and cultural history, characterized by the fusion of Persian, Central Asian, and indigenous traditions. Within this milieu, the Sultanate nobility emerged not only as political elites but also as significant patrons of architecture who articulated their identity, prestige, and authority through the built environment. This paper explores the architectural endeavours of the Sultanate nobility as expressions of cultural sophistication, social status, and political legitimacy. Through an analysis of mosques, tombs, madrasas, and palatial complexes commissioned by nobles across Delhi, Jaunpur, Gulbarga, and other provincial centres, the study highlights how architecture functioned as a medium of self-representation and devotion. Drawing upon primary sources such as the Tarikh-i-Firuzshahi, and epigraphic records, along with archaeological and art-historical evidence, the paper examines the spatial aesthetics, symbolic motifs, and patronage networks that defined noble architecture. The research underscores that the architectural patronage of the nobility not only reinforced hierarchical order and courtly culture but also contributed to the evolution of the Indo-Islamic architectural style that shaped the subcontinent’s medieval urban landscape. Ultimately, the study situates the Sultanate nobility as vital agents in India’s architectural heritage, whose edifices embodied both power and piety in stone.