A memorial, a little more than 239 feet tall, to the implantation of Islam in India with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.
The Qutb Minar in its physical context.
The incomplete Alai Minar at the far end of this site: a second minaret to be twice the height of the Qutb Minar planned by a Khalji ruler which was abandoned in 1316 when Khalji rule was brought to an end.
Aerial photo from the web
The construction and reconstruction of the Qutb Minar took from 1199 to 1368 ACE – of red and buff sandstone (bottom 3 stories) and sandstone and marble (4th story) and marble (5th). The minaret varies along its height in its architectural style.
Markings on some of this stone indicate a provenance from Hindu religious architecture.
The mosque at its base is the first to have been built in India. Photos taken in 2010.
The interior of the tower has been closed since 1982 following an accident involving the lives primarily of schoolchildren.
Brought to this site is a tower of exceptionally pure iron which has not rusted (‘Iron Pillar’) bearing a Sanskrit inscription from the 4th century AD praising a Gupta king.
The minaret is surrounded by somewhat derelict buildings used by the Moslem faithful to modern times.
