The Kootub. - Part of the Temple-mosque and its Mahometan Façade
Photograph
1860-1865 (photographed)
1860-1865 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
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Eugene Clutterbuck Impey was in the service of the British administration in India in the 19th century. He was a skilled amateur photographer and contributed to exhibitions organised by the Bengal Photographic Society.
This photograph shows a colonnade of pillars that form part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque within the Qutb Minar complex, south of Delhi. Built between 1193 and 1199, this is the earliest extant mosque in India. It was built as a symbol of victory by Qutbuddin Aibak (d.1210), the military commander of the Afghan Ghurid dynasty who defeated the last Hindu ruler of Delhi and sought to establish Islam in this newly acquired territory. The mosque consists of a simple rectangle enclosing a central quadrangle measuring 43.2 by 33 metres. Three sides of the mosque have pillared colonnades built using the remains of 27 demolished Hindu and Jain temples, a fact recorded on the main eastern entrance to the mosque.
This photograph shows a colonnade of pillars that form part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque within the Qutb Minar complex, south of Delhi. Built between 1193 and 1199, this is the earliest extant mosque in India. It was built as a symbol of victory by Qutbuddin Aibak (d.1210), the military commander of the Afghan Ghurid dynasty who defeated the last Hindu ruler of Delhi and sought to establish Islam in this newly acquired territory. The mosque consists of a simple rectangle enclosing a central quadrangle measuring 43.2 by 33 metres. Three sides of the mosque have pillared colonnades built using the remains of 27 demolished Hindu and Jain temples, a fact recorded on the main eastern entrance to the mosque.
Object details
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| Materials and techniques | Albumen print |
| Brief description | Photograph of a colonnade of pillars which form part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque within the Qutb Minar complex, Delhi, India, By E.C. Impey, 1860-65. |
| Physical description | This photograph shows a colonnade of pillars which form part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque within the Qutb Minar complex. This is the earliest extant mosque in India. The mosque was built by Qutbuddin Aibak as a symbol of victory, and consists of a simple rectangle, enclosing a central quadrangle court measuring 43.2 x 33m internally. Three sides of the mosque have pillared colonnades built using the remains of 27 demolished Hindu and Jain temples, a fact recorded on the main eastern entrance to the mosque. Also visible in the background is the back view of the screen for the Quwwat-ul-Islam. The original mosque and screen were built between 1193 to 1199. |
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| Object history | The photograph was initially part of the photographic collection held in the National Art Library. The markings on the mount are an indication of the history of the object, its movement through the museum and the way in which it is categorised. The mount is green with a label in the right hand side with a title. |
| Historical context | The published caption for this photograph reads: The favourite way in which the early Mohametans converted a temple into a mosque, was by adding to it a façade of colossal pointed arches. In the earlier instances, as in the Kootub, these arches merely towered over the quondam temple, as if emblematic of the relations of the two religions; but subsequently the principle compartments of the temple were raised by an upper colonnade to the height of the arches, and the whole became a complete, harmonious, and graceful design, of which the most perfect example exists at Ahmedabad. Ref: Delhi, Agra, and Rajpootana, Illustrated by Captain E.C. Impey, Cundall, Downes and Co. London, 1865, Illustration no 5 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | Eugene Clutterbuck Impey was in the service of the British administration in India in the 19th century. He was a skilled amateur photographer and contributed to exhibitions organised by the Bengal Photographic Society. This photograph shows a colonnade of pillars that form part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque within the Qutb Minar complex, south of Delhi. Built between 1193 and 1199, this is the earliest extant mosque in India. It was built as a symbol of victory by Qutbuddin Aibak (d.1210), the military commander of the Afghan Ghurid dynasty who defeated the last Hindu ruler of Delhi and sought to establish Islam in this newly acquired territory. The mosque consists of a simple rectangle enclosing a central quadrangle measuring 43.2 by 33 metres. Three sides of the mosque have pillared colonnades built using the remains of 27 demolished Hindu and Jain temples, a fact recorded on the main eastern entrance to the mosque. |
| Bibliographic reference | Delhi, Agra, and Rajpootana, Illustrated by Captain E.C. Impey, Cundall, Downes and Co. London, 1865, Illustration no 5 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 48845A |
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| Record created | January 31, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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