HAUZ -E- SHAMSI

Hauz-e-Shamsi is a water storage reservoir or tank built in AD 1230 by Shamsuddin Iltutmish, the second of the Slave rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. It is believed that Iltutmish had the tank dug at this spot after he had been guided to the site by Prophet Mohammad in a dream. The water of the tank is regarded as sacred and gravesof many Muslim saints lie around it. The tank was built to provide water to the settlement in and around Lal Kot, which was at that time the capital city. A domed pavilion was constructed by Iltutmish to mark the hoof print of the Prophet’s horse in the middle of the tank. The present structure probably dates from a later time and because the dimensions of the tank have shrunk, it is now located near the western bank. In form it is a kiosk with a large dome supported on twelve carved red sandstone pillars. The Hauz-e-Shamsi is flanked by the Jahaz Mahal to its eastern side. The Jahaz Mahal can be approached through a flight of steps from the Hauz-e-Shamsi tank over a parapet, and originally the water of the tank would have lapped the sides of the platform on which it stands. Today the tank has an L-shaped garden placed on the northern side of the tank. Several graves and ruined mosques are found in the area. At the south-east corner of the tank is the Auliya Masjid, which is one of the earliest mosques in Delhi, where the Sufi saints Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and Muinuddin Chishti are believed to have prayed.

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