Delhi historical timeline

Delhi is often described through a fixed number of historical cities, but the evidence is less tidy. Settlements overlapped, expanded and reused older structures. A dated sequence is more useful than forcing every site into one numbered list.

Chronology

1. 1206 — Qutb al-Din Aibak became the first Delhi Sultan and developed the early Sultanate centre around Mehrauli. The Qutb complex preserves this political and architectural shift.
2. 1303 — Alauddin Khalji established Siri. The surviving walls and the reservoir later known as Hauz Khas mark the southern extent of this capital.
3. 1321–1325 — Ghiyas al-Din Tughluq built Tughlaqabad as a fortified capital. Its massive walls remain visible across the southern Ridge.
4. 1354 — Firuz Shah Tughluq established Firozabad beside the Yamuna. Firoz Shah Kotla preserves part of its citadel and a reused Ashokan pillar.
5. 1540–1545 — Sher Shah Suri developed Shergarh around the Purana Qila area. Mughal and Sur-period work now overlap within the surviving enclosure.
6. 1570 — Humayun's Tomb was completed. Its monumental charbagh became a major model for later Mughal garden tombs.
7. 1639–1648 — Shah Jahan founded Shahjahanabad and completed its palace-fort beside the Yamuna. The Red Fort and street structure still anchor Old Delhi.
8. 1803 — East India Company forces took Delhi. Mughal authority continued in reduced form while colonial control reshaped the city and cantonment.
9. 1857 — The uprising and British recapture ended the Mughal court. Fighting, demolition and population displacement transformed Shahjahanabad and the Red Fort.
10. 12 December 1911 — The British government announced the transfer of India's capital from Calcutta to Delhi. Planning began for a new administrative city around Raisina Hill.
11. 15 February 1931 — New Delhi officially opened. Its government buildings, avenues and parks formed a separate planned centre within the wider urban territory.
12. 15 August 1947 — India became independent and Delhi remained its capital. The Red Fort acquired a new national role through the annual Independence Day address.
13. 1956 — Delhi became a federally administered territory. This replaced the former Part C state arrangement with a new constitutional status.
14. 1991 — The constitutional and statutory changes established the National Capital Territory name and a legislative assembly, while reserving specified powers to the central government.

How to read what survives

The southern forts, reservoirs and tombs show repeated moves across Ridge terrain. Shahjahanabad preserves a dense street city beside the river, while New Delhi uses open axes and institutional compounds.

Restoration and reuse are part of this history. Religious buildings remain active, protected monuments carry later repairs, and ceremonial spaces continue to change meaning under the republic.