86 Notes on Old Delhi. [No. 2, 



and its adjoining walls, as well as of the wall opposite the N. W. 

 corner of the just named fort. 



Purdna QiVah. 



Although the walls of this Fort are attributed to Humayun, both 

 the buildings now remaining in it, are attributed to Sher Shah Siir, 

 and exhibit Pat'han architecture at its highest perfection. 



The Jami' Masjid which has recently been repaired by Govern- 

 ment with great success, is a large building of grey stone, of five 

 arches. These arches are all more or less elaborately adorned with 

 inlaid stones of marble, red sandstone and a kind of black basalt, 

 the stone-work being elaborately carved with passages from the 

 Qoran, and scroll work. Nothing but a painting can do full justice 

 to a result in which colour and workmanship alike contribute to the 

 charm which the spectator cannot but feel. The qiblahgahs are 

 also carved in marble and adorned with inlaid patterns and red sand- 

 stone, the ceiling and dome have been covered with painted patterns. 

 It may suffice to point out "certain characteristics of this style of 

 mosque. Above the doorways, in the upper portion of the arch in 

 which they are set, are introduced small arched window-like - aper- 

 tures : at the north and south sides, oriel windows are constructed, 

 surmounted with cupolas resting on pillars. These oriel windows are 

 also introduced into the back wall of this mosque, while each end of 

 the back wall terminates in a rounded tower running to the top of 

 the building. Mosques belonging to this period and exhibiting 

 the style, will be found in the Jamali Kamali mosque at the Qutb, 

 in the North Masjid near Mubarikpur and in a nameless -mosque 

 at Khairpur, about a third of a mile from Cafdar Jang's tomb. 

 This last mosque is noteworthy, as being perhaps the finest 

 remaining specimen of the success with which the Pat'hans worked 

 inscriptions and tracery in stucco. 



The other building in Purana Qil'ah, the Sher Mandal, which 

 derives its interest from being the place where Humayun met with 

 the fall which caused his death, is an octagonal building of red 

 stone standing on a plinth. The first story is solid, but in the 

 second there is a room panelled with encaustic tiles to the height of 

 about 3 feet and painted above. This room is a square from which 

 lesser squares have been cut off at the corners, as shown in the 



