Page:The Seven Cities of Delhi.djvu/169

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exterior of the walls, the tapering towers, the massive columns of quartzite, the rough nature of the arches, the stones of which are not dressed to fit, but depend for their stability on the strength of the mortar — all these points are cha- racteristic of the period. Hindu architecture also had its influence, for stone lintels are common, and the drip-stones are supported by lintels on brackets. There are fifteen low domes over the mosque proper, arranged in three rows, and the same number cover the arcades — all are true horseshoe arches, which were prevalent before the bulbous dome came into fashion in the time of Shahjahan.

KoTiLA OF FiROZE Shah. — The surrounding walls of this have been removed, in order to provide materials for the walls of the new city, but a few fragments still stand here and there; the masonry is of a very rough type, and the local quartzite is used. The rooms must have been dark and inconvenient ; the vaulted roofs depend on the mortar for their strength.

The buildings within the castle have fallen into ruin, and it is difficult to trace the uses to which they were put ; a few still stand, noteworthy among which are the building on which was set up the Pillar of Asoka ; the Jama