spaces was considered to be a great and rare honour. Thus, such opportunities for anybody other than the ruler himself, his blood relatives or spiritual guide was denied. As the true consolidator of the Delhi Sultanate, Iltutmish claimed this privilege as his right. The tomb of Iltutmish (A.D. 1211-36) was built in A.D. 1235. It is a plain square chamber of red sandstone, profusely carved with inscriptions, geometrical and arabesque patterns in Saracenic tradition on the entrances and the whole of interior. The central chamber is a 9 mt sq. and has squinches, suggesting the existence of a dome, which has since collapsed. The cenotaph, in white marble is place on a raised platform in the centre of the chamber. The tomb is ornately carved including the façade and interior walls. The west wall in the tomb has a mihrab decorated with marble, and constitutes rich carvings such as bell-and-chain, tassel, lotus, diamond emblems etc.
TOMB OF ALA-UD-DIN KHILJI:
Located at the back of the Qutb Minar complex, southwest of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Ala-ud-din –Khilji’s tomb is located within the remains of an L-shaped construction. The tomb has been dated to 1316 AD. In its vicinity lies a madarsa or Islamic seminary built by him. Khilji was a powerful conqueror and the second Sultan of Delhi from Khilji dynasty, who ruled from 1296 to 1316 AD. The central room of the building, where his tomb is open to the sky having lost its dome. Many rooms of the seminary or college are intact, and since been restored. This is also the first example in India where a tomb is located beside a madarsa. In keeping with his reputation as a conqueror, ala-ud-din styled himself as the second Sikander (Alexander). He was known to be a