*Edited post - As a result of a helpful comment on instagram, I have edited this post as this well/gumbad still exists but within the premises of a school!
A striking photograph from 1949, taken by a French visitor to Delhi, captures a well dating back to the Khilji period, located in what is today known as the ‘Siri Fort’ area. At the time, this well would have served the nearby village of Shahpur Jat, a long-standing historic settlement nestled within the remains of Alauddin Khilji’s 14th-century fortified ‘city’.
Curiously, archaeological guides like those of Maulvi Zafar Hasan, whose pioneering work produced the most comprehensive catalogue of Delhi’s architectural heritage between 1916-22 (and whose list is still used by the Archaeological Survey of India), did not include the well in the Siri Fort area.
References:
Maulvi Zafar Hasan et al. ‘Monuments of Delhi: Lasting Splendour of the Great Mughals and Others’ (Mehrauli Zail Vol. 3 and Badarpur Zail-Shahdara Zail) pp.168-72
Photo: Unknown, ‘Well in the countryside’, Delhi, 1949.
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