Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque
mosque in India
The Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque (Urdu: قلعہ کہنہ مسجد, lit. 'Mosque of the Old Fort'), also known as the Mosque of Sher Shah and the Kila Kohna Masjid, is an Hanafi Sunni, mosque located inside the Purana Qila (lit. 'Old Fort') in New Delhi, though part of Central Delhi, India.
After Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun, he occupied Purana Qila. There, he built the mosque for his private use, which became a "symbol of his royal aspiration". The mosque is believed to have been constructed in 1541 CE.
The mosque is a Monument of National Importance, administered by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Location
The mosque is located inside Sher Shah Suri's fort, Purana Qila, which became his fortification after he won Delhi. It is one of the structures beside the Sher Mandal (which is attributed as Humayun's library) present in the fort. The fort is located near the Delhi zoo.
History
Derived from various accounts of contemporary historians, the mosque history is written by Abbas Sarwani, who claims that Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi, Sher Shah Suri built the mosque in 1540, from "gold, lapis lazuli" and other precious stones. He is said to have built the mosque to "revive" the city's status "as a major city". Historian MC Joshi argues that although Sher Shah completed the mosque, it was originally "designed" and its construction was started by Humayun.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque” as mosque in India. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as mosque in India. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q19895556. Authority coordinates are 28.610, 77.245. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1541 and 1540.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque primary sources, Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque archive and Qila-i-Kuhna research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.