Primarily
made up of red and buff sandstone, Qutub Minar in Delhi is the most
famous and highest historical minaret in India. Also spelled Qutb Minar,
its large complex houses a madrasa, an ancient iron pillar, a mosque,
graves and tombs. Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the first sultan of Delhi, laid
the foundation of Qutab Minar in the last leg of twelfth century. Its
large and ancient complex has earned it a place in the UNESCO's Heritage
List and given it a more sheltered existence.Location
Qutub Minar is situated in Mehrauli region of New Delhi.
Qutb Minar Statistics
Qutub Minar stands at a majestic height of 72.5m. The completed structure has a diameter of 14.3 m and 2.75 m at the base and top floor respectively. Qutub-ud-Din Aibak started building the minaret in 1199AD.
Coming into Being
Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the founder of Slave Dynasty, laid the foundation stone of the minar but died before he could complete it. It was built for the use of the mu'azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Shamas-ud-Din Iltutmish (AD 1211-36). The last and the fifth storey was made and repaired by Firuz Shah Tughlaq during 1351-88 A.D. The entire complex was repaired by Sikander Lodi during 1489-1517 A.D. and then by Major R. Smith in 1829 A.D.
Qutub Minar of Delhi is named after Qutab-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki, a Turkish saint revered by Iltutmish, the successor of Aibak.
Interesting Fact
The iron pillar mentioned above does not rust and its chemical composition has baffled even the most respected scientists of the world.
Architectural Style
The architectural style of Qutub Minar is typically Persian to some extent. For example the superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels. These are decorated with verses from the 'The Koran' and numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari in different places on the minar reveal the history of Qutb Minar. All the five stories are supported by projected balconies encircling the minar balanced by intricately carved 'Honey-Comb' design stone brackets.