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This bustling town 58km
north-west of Varanasi sees few travelers but is of interest to
architectural historians for its mosques, which are built in a unique
style that is part Islamic and part Hindu and Jain. Founded by Feroz
Shah Tughlaq in 1360 on an ancient site, Jaunpur became the capital of
the independent Muslim Sharqui kingdom. The most impressive mosques were
constructed between 1394 and 1478. They were built on ruins of Hindu,
Buddhist and Jain temples and shrines, and are notable for their odd
mixture of architectural styles, their two storey arcades and large
gateways, and their unusual minarets. Jaunpur was sacked by Sikandar
Lodi, who left only the mosques undamaged. The modest but well-maintained Jaunpur Fort, built by Feroz Shah in
1360, overlooks the Gomti River. Continue 500m north of here and you
come to the Attila Masjid, built in 1408 on the site of a Hindu temple
dedicated to Atala Devi. Another 500m north-west is the largest and most
impressive of the mosques, the Jama Masjid, built between 1438 and 1478.
Other places to see include the Jhanjhri Masjid, the tombs of the
Sharqul sultans, the Char Ungil Masjid and the Lal Darwaza Masjid.
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