Helen Philon
Dr Helen Philon is
an archaeologist and scholar, with a special interest in Deccan
India. The author of many publications, she established herself as
a leading expert in the field, with a desire to preserve its monuments and ancient architecture for posterity. With
her colleague at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, she helped found the Deccan Heritage Foundation and now sits on the Board
of Trustees of both the English and the U.S. foundations. Courtly Architecture of the Bahmanis
Following the conquest of Hindustan by Timur in 1397-8 and the eclipse of the Tughluq empire, the Bahmani kingdom (from 1347-1538), on the edge of the Islamic world, became the most important kingdom of the subcontinent. This was a Muslim kingdom, of both local and immigrant communities, that ruled a Hindu majority. The lecture will discuss a few iconic buildings to illustrate the Bahmani’s architectural and emblematic vocabulary of forms where Indic, Tughluq, south Iranian and Central Asian forms contributed to the creation of an innovative architecture, architectural landscapes and motifs with lasting effects on successor Muslim dynasties.
