FIROZ SHAH KUTLA

Ferozabad marks the capital founded in 1354 by Sultan Feroz Shah of the Tughlaq dynasty. The fort and palace whose ruins can be visited were the heart of the city, the fifth capital of Delhi. It stretched from the north of Old Delhi to the Purana Qila (the Old Fort in the Nizamuddin district) and was home to 150,000 people. It was the first capital to be built on the banks of the Yamuna. The site offers an original walk and reminds us that the appeal and power of India began long before the Raj.

The palace. The walls of the citadel are 15 meters high. The parapets and upper merlons have disappeared, but the loopholes are still visible. On the other hand, there are few traces left of what the palace once was. We can still make out the wooden gallery that served as a residence for the court officers. Also remains the Palace of the Public Court, where the sultan gave audience. The walls were once covered with painted and carved plasterwork.

The pillar of Ashoka. This monolithic column has several edicts of the emperor Ashoka (3rd century BC) engraved all over its surface. This great emperor of the Maurya period used pillars with his governmental principles. They were displayed in the public square and scholars could read them to the inhabitants. It is likely that this pillar comes from Topra, in the present state of Haryana. It is 13 meters high with a diameter of 65 centimeters at the top and 97 centimeters at the base. Feroz Shah had the pyramidal structure built at great expense on which the column still rests today. The monument was surmounted by 8 chhatris and the pillar was crowned with a golden globe and crescent, inlaid with colored stones.

Jami masjid. This mosque directly connected by a path to the pillar of Ashoka is one of the oldest mosques still active in India. It was built on a set of underground cells. The prayer hall, now in ruins, was used by the women of the royal lineage. If there is not much left of the original set, it is nevertheless the most moving building of the palace.

Baoli. The stepped well to the northwest of the Ashoka Pillar has been closed to the public since 2014, following a suicide. It served as a summer residence for the royal family, who would retreat there during hot weather and bathe in the bottom of the well. The water from this well is still used to maintain the gardens. In order to get a partial view of it, you have to climb on the pyramidal structure of the Ashoka pillar.