The Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate controlled much of what is now Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan from 1206 to 1526. The sultanate's boundaries shifted, depending on its military strength, but it centered in the Ganges Valley and Punjab. Delhi was the capital. The sultans brought much of India under Muslim rule for the first time. Trade routes opened and commerce flourished.

During the sultanate, many Muslims migrated to India to serve as soldiers, government officials, priests, or merchants. Muslim holy men converted many Indians to Islam, the religion of the Muslims. Other Indians switched religions to improve their economic position. Most of the converts lived in the northwest and northeast, now Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Excerpt adapted from the "Delhi Sultanate" article, The World Book Encyclopedia, © 1999