Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/292

 248 INDIAN SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE. BOOK VII. 4 or 5 miles east and west, and 3 miles north and south, most pleasingly diversified in surface, abounding in water, and fertile in the highest degree, as is too plainly evidenced by the rank vegetation, which was tearing the buildings of the city to pieces or obscuring them so that, till quite lately, they could hardly be seen. The Delhi gate on the north of the fortifications by which they are entered, has been a fine lofty structure, though now much ruined: it also is purely Pathan in style, but unusually elegant in proportions and decoration. The finest building in the city is the Jami' Masjid, commenced by Hushang Shah, the second king, who reigned from A.D. 1405 to A.D. 1434, but it was only finished by Mahmud Shah I. in 1454. Though not very large, it is so simple and grand in outline and details, that it ranks high among the monuments of its class. Its dimensions are externally 290 ft. from east to west, exclusive of the porch on the east which projects about 55 ft. by 271 ft. from north to south. Internally, the courtyard is almost an exact square of 162 ft., and in other respects the four sides of the court are exactly similar, each being ornamented by eleven great archesof precisely the same dimensions and height, supported by piers or pillars, each 10 ft. high, of one single block of red sandstone. The only variety at- tempted is, that the east side has two arcades in depth, the north and south three : while the west side, or that facing Mecca, has five, besides being ornamented by three great domes, each 42 ft. in diameter. As will be seen on the plan (Woodcut No. 402), these large domes are supported each by twelve pillars. The pillars are all equally spaced, the architect having omitted. 402. Sketch plan of Mosque at Mandu. Scale 114 ft. to i in.