Qutub Minar

Qutub Minar is the highest stone tower and one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in India. It is currently one of Delhi's most visited tourist attractions.

Qutb-ud-din Aybak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutub Minar in A.D. 1193, but could only complete its basement. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more stories and, in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last story. The development of architectural styles from Aibak to Tuglak are quite evident in the minaret. The purpose for building this beautiful monument is not clear. Some believe that it was built as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of Muslim rule in India while others say it served as a minaret for the adjoining mosque and was used by the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer.

The Qutub Minar is 72.5 metres high and vistors must climb 379 steps to get to the top. The diameter of the base is 14.3 metres wide while the top floor measures 2.7 metres in diameter. The Qutub Minar is made of fluted red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the holy Qur'an. Some controversy surrounds the origins for the name of the tower. Many historians believe that the Qutub Minar was named after the first Turkish sultan, Qutb-ud-din Aibak but others contend that it was named in honor of Khwaja Qutb-ud-din , a saint from Baghdad who came to live in India who was greatly venerated by Iltutmish.

In the compounds of Qutub Minar, there are many other interesting buildings and structures, including the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was the first mosque to be built in India. It was built by Qutub-ud-din aibak using parts of 27 Jain and Hindu temples and both pre-Islamic and Islamic features are present.

The Qutub Minar is itself built on the ruins of Lal Kot , the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika , the capital of the Rajput Tomars and the Chauhans , the last Hindu rulers of Delhi. The mosque is in ruins today but one can see indigenous corbelled arches, floral motifs as well as Islamic architectural features such as squinches (setting arches diagonally to a square to support a dome), calligraphy and geometric patterns. Later monuments include the Ala-I-Darwaza and the Alai Minar built by Ala-ud-din Khilji (1296-1316).

To the west of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque is the tomb of Iltutmish which was built by the monarch in 1235. The construction of this mausoleum clearly represented a departure from the Hindu custom of cremating the dead.

Close to the mosque is the Iron pillar, one of Delhi's most curious structures. Dating to 4th century A.D., the pillar bears an inscription which states that it was erected as a flagstaff in honor of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta II (375-413). How the pillar was moved to its present location remains a mystery. Made of 98 per cent wrought iron, the pillar highlights ancient India's achievements in metallurgy. It has stood 1,600 years without rusting or corroding.