ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE OF DECCAN INDIA

The buildings erected in the Deccan region of India belonged to a number of pre-Mughal kingdoms that reigned in the Deccanfrom the middle of the 14th century onwards. The monuments testify to a culture where local and imported ideas, vernacularand pan-Islamic traditions fused and re-interpreted, to create a majestic architectural heritage with exceptional buildings onthe edge of the Islamic world. Many are still standing - yet outside this region of peninsular India, they remain largely unknown. General publications on Indian Islamic architecture usually devote a single chapter to the Deccan. Even specialist monographscan only cover a portion of the region, due to the sheer number of sites. While it is impossible to encompass the full breadthof the subject in a single volume, this book aims to embrace the visual diversity of the Deccan without sacrificing the rigour ofacademic study. Structures of historical or architectural significance are placed in their context, as the authors discuss buildingtypologies, civic facilities and ornamental techniques, from plaster and carved stone to glazed tiles and mural painting. A chapteris dedicated to each principal Deccan site, interweaving the rise and fall of these cities with a pictorial journey through theirruins, and each building is accompanied by an overhead plan view.