Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of
Varanasi. Jaunpur's history dates from 1388 when the Sultan of Delhi,
Feroz Shah Tughlaq, appointed Malik Sarwar, a eunuch, as governor of the
region. The Delhi Sultanate was weakened by the 1398 sacking of Delhi by
Timur and Malik Sarwar declared independence. Malik Sarwar and his son
founded the Sharqi dynasty. During the Sharqi period the Jaunpur
Sultanate was a strong military power in Northern India, and on several
occasions threatened the Delhi Sultanate.
Jaunpur was then a major center of Urdu and Sufi knowledge and culture.
Slowly Jaunpur flourished as an important cultural center. Jaunpur's
independence came to an end in 1480, when Sikander Lodi, the Sultan of
Delhi, conquered the city. The Sharqi kings attempted for several years
to retake the city, but ultimately failed. Though the Jaunpur Kingdom
did not last long yet it left its mark, particularly, in realms of
culture and music. The period saw the construction of many great and
Although many of the Sharqi monuments were destroyed when the Lodis
took the city, several important mosques still remain. The most
important one of them are the Atala Masjid, Jama Masjid and the Lal
Darwaza Masjid. The Jaunpur mosques display a unique architectural
style, combining traditional Hindu and Muslim motifs with purely
original elements. The old bridge over the Gomti River dates back to
year 1564 AD.