Razia Sultan Tomb — Attraction in Delhi

Raziya al-Din (r. 1236–1240), popularly known as Razia Sultana, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate  in the northern part of the India subcontinent. She is notable for being the first female Muslim ruler of South Asia. A daughter of Mamluk Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish, Razia administered Delhi during 1231-1232 when her father was busy in the Gwalior campaign. According to a possibly apocryphal legend, impressed by her performance during this period, Iltutmish nominated Razia as his heir apparent  after returning to Delhi. Iltutmish was succeeded by Razia's half-brother Ruknuddin firuz, whose mother Shah Turkan planned to execute her. During a rebellion against Ruknuddin, Razia instigated the general public against Shah Turkan, and ascended the throne after Ruknuddin was deposed in 1236.

Razia's ascension was challenged by a section of nobles, some of whom ultimately joined her, while the others were defeated. The Turkic nobles who supported her expected her to be a figurehead, but she increasingly asserted her power. This, combined with her appointments of non-Turkic officers to important posts, led to their resentment against her. She was deposed by a group of nobles in April 1240, after having ruled for less than 4 years. She married one of the rebels - Ikhtiyaruddin Altunia - and attempted to regain the throne, but was defeated by her half-brother and successor muizzuddin Bahram  Luiz Uddingston Bahram  in October that year, and was killed shortly after.

Razia's name is also transliterated as Raḍiyy 1 or Raziyya .2 The term "Sultana", used by some modern writers, is a misnomer as it means "the king's wife" rather than "female ruler". Razia's own coins call her Sultan Jalalat al-Duniya wal-Din or as al-Sultan al-Muazzam Raziyat al-Din bint al-Sultan. The Sanskrit-language inscriptions of the Sultanate call her Jallaladina, while near-contemporary historian Minhaj  calls her Sultan Raziyat al-Duniya wa'l Din bint al-Sultan.3

Razia was born to the Delhi Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish, a Turkic  slave (mamluk) of his predecessor Qutb al-Din Aibak. Razia's mother - Turkan Khatun - was a daughter of Qutb al-Din Aibak, and the chief wife of Iltutmish Razia was the eldest daughter of Iltutmish, and probably his first-born child. Iltutmish had groomed his eldest son Nasiruddin Mahmud  to be his successor, but this son died unexpectedly in 1229.According to historian Minhaj-i-Siraj, Iltutmish believed that his other sons were absorbed in pleasurable activities, and would be incapable of managing the state affairs after his death. While leaving for his Gwalior  campaigin in 1231, Iltutmish left his daughter Razia as in-charge of Delhi's administration. Razia performed her duties so well that after returning to Delhi, Iltutmish decided to name her as his successor. Iltutmish ordered his officer mushrif-i mamlakat Tajul Mulk Mahmud Dabir to prepare a decree naming Razia as the heir apparent. When his nobles questioned this decision on the basis that he had surviving sons, Iltutmish replied...

A small place surrounded by a residencial colony. It has a small mosque attached to it so the environment is quiet mostly. There's not much to see. Only a few graves built in old (early 13th century) architectural style.Although the road to this tomb is very narrow, it is best to leave any vehicle outside the main street near Jama Masjid. The road opposite to Gate 1 of Jama Masjid and keep asking for directions from senior citizens. The place is a Mosque and a open tomb and kept clean. There is a tap and water for Waju cleaning of hands and feet before prayers. The entrance is narrow. ♿ Accessibility Features: No=Ramp access. No=A wheelchair-accessible Entrance. No=A wheelchair-accessible Restroom/Toilet. No=A wheelchair-accessible Seating. Yes=A wheelchair-accessible Parking.The interesting part about this tomb, is the effort it takes just to get to it. A labyrinth network of galis in Daryaganj need to be traversed by foot, to figure out it's location, which by itself is an excellent back alley Delhi adventure. The to.b itself is unassuming, but has so much history attached to it... an elderly gentleman mans the place, and is an excellent conversationalist if one gets here, he will provide details about the history of the tomb, the Delhi Sultanate and old Delhi itself... Do take a sip of cold water and sit in the tomb awhile, it's a very peaceful area in the midst of the old Delhi bustle...I had to walk through narrow lanes to reach here but it was worth. Locals helped me alot and guided me for the place. There are total 4 graves, two of them are graves of kids of Razia Sultan's Sister who's grave is beside Razia Sultan. There's also a Mosque. ASI is not able to renovate this place because of the narrow lanes. It's impossible for the machines and equipments to...

Sultan Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din1 (died 15 October 1240, r. 1236–1240), popularly known as Razia Sultana, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. She was the first female Muslim ruler of the subcontinent, and the only female Muslim ruler of Delhi. A daughter of Mamluk Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish, Razia administered Delhi during 1231–1232 when her father was busy in the Gwalior campaign. According to a possibly apocryphal legend, impressed by her performance during this period, Iltutmish nominated Razia as his heir apparent after returning to Delhi. Iltutmish was succeeded by Razia's half-brother Ruknuddin Firoz Shah, whose mother Shah Turkan planned to execute her. During a rebellion against Ruknuddin, Razia instigated the general public against Shah Turkan, and ascended the throne after Ruknuddin was deposed in 1236. Razia's ascension was challenged by a section of nobles, some of whom ultimately joined her, while the others were defeated. The Turkic nobles who supported her expected her to be a figurehead, but she increasingly asserted her power. This, combined with her appointments of non-Turkic officers to important posts, led to their resentment against her. She was deposed by a group of nobles in April 1240, after having ruled for less than four years. She married one of the rebels – Ikhtiyaruddin Altunia – and attempted to regain the throne, but was defeated by her half-brother and successor Muizuddin Bahram in October that year, and was killed...