It's hard to believe, but tradition places in this roofless courtyard, squeezed between houses, the tomb of Razia, the first and only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate. Look around: no dome, no garden, no grand inscription.

1A sultana in a turban

Razia was the daughter of Iltutmish, the sultan who completed the Qutb Minar. Her father preferred her to his sons and, after years of struggle, she took the throne in 1236. The chronicles of Minhaj-i Siraj relate that she set aside the veil, wore a tunic and turban and rode on horseback and on elephants before her army. The Turkish nobles couldn't bear it. She was overthrown and died in 1240, murdered while on the run.

2Is she really here?

That's the mystery. Around 1340 the traveller Ibn Battuta wrote that the sultana had been buried by the river and that her grave had become a place of pilgrimage. But Kaithal in Haryana and Tonk in Rajasthan also claim her remains. Many historians accept this courtyard as the most likely tomb, without absolute certainty.

The woman who rose highest in medieval Delhi may rest in its humblest corner.

Next to hers is a second grave. Neighbourhood tradition says it belongs to her sister, Shazia, but no document confirms it.

3What to look for

  • The two stone graves, without decoration.
  • The absence of a dome, unusual for a sovereign's tomb.
  • The ASI tablet at the entrance, which cautiously says the tomb is "said to be" the sultana's.

Documented

Razia reigned from 1236 to 1240; the Bulbuli Khana tomb is protected by the ASI, although the identification is not certain.

Oral tradition

That the second grave belongs to her sister Shazia is an unconfirmed local tradition.

Sources and credits

Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani, "Tabaqat-i Nasiri" (13th century); Ibn Battuta, "Rihla" (14th century); Archaeological Survey of India, list of protected monuments in Delhi.

Photos:

  • The two stone graves in the courtyard of Razia Sultan's tomb: Indrajit Das, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Entrance to Razia Sultan's tomb with iron gate, stone tablet and blue ASI sign: Pinakpani, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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