Gulbarga Fort Bijapur

Gulbarga fort, originally built by Raja Gulchand was later strengthened by Ala-ud-din Bahmani. The fort contained 15 towers and 26 guns of which one was 8 metres long. Within the ramparts of the fort, there is an imposing mosque, which resembles the great mosque of Cordova in Spain.

This mosque is the only one of its kind in the entire country. Several tombs of the Bahmani Sultans can be found in the eastern outskirts of the town. The imposing fort of Gulbarga has witnessed many a battle and suffered many an onslaught. Razed to the ground by Krishna Devaraya of Vijaynagar, it rose like a phoenix when Adil Shah undertook its repair with booty captured from Vijaynagar.

In the early 14th century, the Deccan was occupied by Muhammad bin Tughluq of the Delhi Sultanate, which included Gulbarga. The revolt of the Muslim officers appointed from Delhi resulted in founding of the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 by Alauddin Hassan, who chose Gulbarga (named as 'Ahsenabad' during this period) to be his capital.