There is an amazing edifice in Delhi's Qutb complex that is said to be over a thousand years old. It is a pillar that rises 7.2 meters tall from top to bottom of its base, with 1.1 meters underneath. Its purpose is unknown.
The Qutb Minar was built between 1168 and 1193 as a tribute to a Muslim ruler by the name of Qutb Malik. He ordered that a tower be erected within his kingdom to mark his authority over the world. This tower was meant to be visible from everywhere in his territory so that no one could question his power. The minar stands for "my mind is free" in Arabic.
The foundation stone for the Qutb Minar was laid by another Muslim ruler named Iltutmish. It took more than 20 years to complete because the work was put on hold when Iltutmish went to war. When he returned home, he found out that his ministry was corrupt and that people were using his name without permission. So he had all the workers removed from the site and moved to another place where they rebuilt the entire thing from scratch. This time they used red sandstone instead of white marble because that was what was available near the new site.
Iltutmish did not live to see his ministry completed because he died before it was finished.
Wikimedia Commons/Aiwok Qutub Minar At 237.8 feet tall, the Qutb Minar tower in Delhi, India, is the world's highest brick minaret. Its height makes it also one of the tallest free-standing structures in the world.
The tower was built in 1168 by Muhammad Ghiyasuddin Tardiya for the victory of Raja Ranjit over Prithviraj Chauhan. It was used as a landmark for all travelers on their way to Delhi from anywhere in India or beyond. It served as an important reference point for farmers who needed to know when to plant their crops.
The tower was designed by Muhammad Alif, and has 24 floors, each floor being about 20 meters (66 feet) high. The base of the minaret is about 70 meters long and 3.5 meters wide.
It is constructed out of red sandstone with a mixture of mud and straw for its concrete foundation. The whole structure we see today is only the outline of the original monument which was almost 100 feet taller. Under present-day Delhi's heavy rainfall, some parts of the minaret have collapsed over time.
The tower came to be associated with prayer because of its appearance at the top of each hour during the daily prayer session.
Qutab Minar is open every day. (foreigners). There were no days off. Qutab Minar is a 73-meter-high triumph tower erected in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak soon following the destruction of Delhi's last Hindu state. The tower was originally painted black, but now it is grey.
It is said that before he died, Qutab-ud-din ordered that his capital be rebuilt on an even greater scale than before, and the Qutb Minar is its crowning glory. The tower was originally built as the main entrance to Ikhlaq's tomb, but after the death of Qutb Sultan Muhammad Shams-ad-Din Juvayni in 1336, it became the main entrance to his tomb too. Today both tombs are empty. The only thing remaining from Ikhlaq's tomb is a small alcove where his body used to be kept before it was taken away for burial.
The Qutab Minar stands on the site of what was once Delhi's ancient royal cemetery. It took more than 100 years to build this monument out of pure gold, silver, and iron. The minar itself is 72 meters high while its base is 4 meters wide. The area around the Qutab Minar is also called Mehrauli because it used to be a royal garden before it was turned into a cemetery.
The Qutub Minar is composed of red sandstone and marble, with a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and 2.75 m at the top. It stands 73 meters tall and has 379 stairs. The Qutub Minar, in particular, was built to allow mu'azzin (criers) to provide prayer summons. The minar remains important for Islam today; many countries have embassies in Islamabad because it is also considered a landmark building.
The minar was built by the Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban in 1324 during the Indian invasion of Afghanistan. It took more than 20 years to complete the minar because Balban died before he could see it completed. His son, Khusrau Malik, continued to work on the minar but did not live to see it finished either.
The minar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a popular attraction in Delhi. Its popularity has increased since it became known that former American president Barack Obama had visited the site before his visit to India in 2015.
According to historians, before the construction of the Qutub Minar, Muslim rulers used to announce khutba (sermon) from the roof of a mosque. This method failed because people would stop listening after a few minutes so they decided to build their own minaret instead. Thus, the Qutub Minar was born. It is estimated that the minar costs around $10 million to $20 million to build.
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