Hauz-i-Shamsi

Hauz-i-Shamsi
View of the pavilion in Hauz-i-Shamsi
Hauz-i-Shamsi
Coordinates28°30′51″N 77°10′42″E / 28.51417°N 77.17833°E / 28.51417; 77.17833
TypeReservoir
Basin countriesIndia
Surface area2 ha (5 acres)
SettlementsMehrauli

Hauz-i-Shamsi (literally "sunny water tank"), also known as Shamsi Talab, is a water reservoir built by Iltutmish of the Slave Dynasty in 1230 CE. According to legend, its location was revealed to him in a dream by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. A palace known as the Jahaz Mahal was constructed on the eastern edge of the same reservoir during the Lodi dynasty in the 16th century, serving as a retreat or inn for pilgrims. At the edge of Hauz-i-Shamsi stands the tomb of Abdul-Haqq Dehlavi, a 17th-century Persian writer at the Mughal court. The monuments are situated in the sprawling environs of Mehrauli, Delhi, near the Qutb Minar.