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Three centuries of Turkish and Afghan sultans at Delhi, from Qutb Minar to Timur's sack.

Use the timeline below to navigate through major events and milestones.

Delhi Sultanate · 1206–1526 AD
The Sultans of Delhi

The Delhi Sultanate

From the founding of Turkish rule at Delhi and the towering Qutb Minar, through the conquering ambition of Alauddin Khalji and the wild schemes of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, to the rise of Vijayanagara in the south and the devastating sack of Delhi by Timur. Slide across three centuries in which five dynasties ruled from Delhi, a new Indo-Islamic civilisation of language, architecture and faith took shape, and the ground was laid for the Mughal empire to come.

1206 AD
The Slave Dynasty
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1206 AD

The Slave Dynasty
  • Political

    The founding of the Sultanate

    The Qutb Minar in Delhi
    Via Wikimedia Commons

    Qutb-ud-din Aibak, a former slave, founds the Delhi Sultanate and begins the great Qutb Minar.

7 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 1206 AD

Full Chronicle

The Delhi Sultanate

From the founding of Turkish rule at Delhi and the towering Qutb Minar, through the conquering ambition of Alauddin Khalji and the wild schemes of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, to the rise of Vijayanagara in the south and the devastating sack of Delhi by Timur. Slide across three centuries in which five dynasties ruled from Delhi, a new Indo-Islamic civilisation of language, architecture and faith took shape, and the ground was laid for the Mughal empire to come.

  1. The Slave Dynasty

    • The founding of the Sultanate

      Qutb-ud-din Aibak, a former slave, founds the Delhi Sultanate and begins the great Qutb Minar.

  2. The Slave Dynasty

    • Razia, sultana of Delhi

      Razia becomes the only woman ever to rule the Delhi Sultanate, a rare female sovereign in the age.

  3. The Khalji Dynasty

    • Alauddin Khalji at the height of power

      Alauddin Khalji repels the Mongols, conquers deep into the south, and controls prices with an iron hand.

  4. The Tughlaq Dynasty

    • The schemes of Muhammad bin Tughlaq

      The learned but rash Muhammad bin Tughlaq ruins the empire with grand projects, from moving the capital to token money.

  5. The South Breaks Free

    • The rise of Vijayanagara

      As the Sultanate recedes, the great Hindu empire of Vijayanagara rises to rule the south.

  6. The Sack of Delhi

    • Timur sacks Delhi

      The conqueror Timur storms Delhi, massacring its people and leaving the Sultanate in ruins.

  7. The Lodi Dynasty

    • The Lodis, last of the sultans

      The Afghan Lodi dynasty rules a shrunken Sultanate, the last before the coming of the Mughals.