Firoz Shah Palace Complex, Hisar
About Firoz Shah Palace Complex
History
The palace, known as Hisar-i-Firuza, located at a strategic point where the old Delhi Multan Road route branched to Khorasan (historic region which lies in northeast of Iran), was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1354. The construction was completed in 1356. The palace consists of a mosque, a Diwan-e-Aam, a palace for his wife, underground apartments and a granary. The boundary Construction commenced in 1354 CE. Firozshah stayed at Hisar to supervise the construction. Stones were brought from Narsai hills (in Mahendragarh) to build the ramparts fort wall, which was surrounded by a protective moat. Tank inside the complex was used to refill the moat. The complex was completed after two and half years, and Ferozshah ordered his courtiers to build their palaces within the fort walls.Artillery was not widely employed in Central Asia prior to the 16th century, and limited use of cannon at Hisar by the Timurid Sultan Husayn Mirza in 1496 did not lead to a substantial military role for artillery in India, nor did the presence of Portuguese ship's cannon at the 1509 Battle of Diu, and the regular use of artillery came to India only with mughal invasion starting with Babur.The restoration work of the palace started in 1924 and have since been gradually renovated until recent times. The complex has been declared as a Centrally Protected Monument by Archaeological Survey of India.
Architecture
The artwork in the fort is the synthesis of Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. However, the mosque was built in Seljuk architecture. The palace is built of red sandstone. The material used in the construction of the fort was taken from the Hindu temples, likely from Agroha, destroyed by the Islamic invasions of India.