Customer Reviews

Indian Castles 1206-1526: The Rise and Fall of the Delhi Sultanate (Fortress)

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Purchased it for a friend who is a hisotiran.He loved it, hard to find gem.

Konstantin S. Nossov's INDIAN CASTLES 1206-1526: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE DELHI SULTANATE joins others in Osprey's specific 'Fortress' reference series, narrowing the focus to the design and history of Indian castles which began to fall to a number of Muslim-Turkic rulers at the start of the 13th century. The period defines the Indian castle and its many influences and here is captured in a review of all major sites of the period.

This book is a volume in Osprey's large series devoted to fortresses. In just over sixty pages, it amalgamates historical accuracy with appealing presentation to present a complex subject in a way that is suitable for those without prior knowledge in Indian fortifications. The book starts with a two-page introduction that succinctly summarizes the political history of the period and makes broad remarks on castle architectural styles. As there was great political instability at the time, captured military structures were only repaired where needed. Hence castles from that period have a unique blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural motifs. The introduction is followed by a map showing the location of the castles covered in the text and a chronology of events.

The first substantive chapter discusses types of castles drawing on Indian (rather than European) conventions as its basis for classification. The choice of classification helps the reader appreciate Indian castles from within their own framework rather than trying to fit their designs within a foreign framework. The chapter ends with a general discussion on the methods used for castle construction. The next chapter discusses the functional elements of castle design. In this case, they include ditches, walls, towers, gates, merlons, loopholes, and machicolations. These two chapters summarize the framework for castle design during this period.

The next chapter provides detailed descriptions of the defenses in three castles. These descriptions take into account the architectural design (walls, gates, towers, etc.), physical terrain, and access routes to the castle. The text illustrates how these castles integrate the disparate mechanisms of defense examined in earlier chapters. A chapter devoted to exploring living quarters within castle walls follows, and there is also a single-page chapter that introduces the influences of handguns and cannons on modifications in castle design and architecture.

The chapter titled "The Castles in War" provides accounts of sieges and some of the tactics used by the defenders and attackers. In places, it reads like a collection of real stories about real people. The last chapter provides a very brief (a few sentences) summary of roughly two dozen castles all of which are identified on the map earlier in the book.

Armchair Interviews says: Wonderful and interesting read for history buffs or those who love to read about architecture, etc.

This Osprey Fortress series covered the great Indian castles during the period of Muslim Delhi Sultanate period. Its a great short study on not only the Muslim influence in fortress building but the influence Hindu castle building had on the Muslim castle designs in India. It pretty clear by the book that both Hindu and Muslim took a lot from each other as mixture of architectural concept merged together. It appears that during the initial Muslim conquests, they were experts in taking castles and fortresses. Muslim's skill-crafts in siege warfare was second to none and thus, the Hindu Indians, although apparently skilled in castle building, wasn't all that good when defending what they build. Interestingly, Muslim conquerors did not altered much of the original Hindu fortresses they took, probably seeing a good thing when they saw it.

What really impressed me the most about the castles/fortresses shown in this book is the way they protect the gateway into the fortresses. The book clearly shows how elaborate the gateway defenses are in these Indian fortresses. The book end with the coming of Mughul Empire under Barbur.

Although a short book, I thought the author covered this complex subject in a very skillful and well written way. He obviously kept his eye on the ball and didn't waste any pages on meaningless forays. His explanations were clear, his photos were useful and the diagrams he provided proves to be highly useful and informational. For some one like me who new to the subject, this book proves to be an excellent introduction. The book highly recommended for anyone with any passing interest in castle development.