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| Qutub Minar Delhi |
The world-famous Qutub Minar is situated in the capital of India, Delhi. It is a UNESCO world heritage site which attracts the tourist from worldwide and thousands of visitors from India and other countries come here to see it. It is a top priority tourist spot for those who came Delhi first time.
The world-famous Qutub Minar is situated in the capital of India, Delhi. It is a UNESCO world heritage site which attracts the tourist from worldwide and thousands of visitors from India and other countries come here to see it. It is a top priority tourist spot for those who came Delhi first time.
Five Storey Building of Qutub Minar
Qutub Minar is a five-story building whose height is 73 meters or 239.5 feet. Each storey of the tower has a projecting balcony. Qutub Minar is a cone type of building whose diameter at the base is 47 feet or 14.3 meters and at the top 2.7 meters or 9 feet. Each storey of Qutub Minar is distinct from each other due to its construction completed by three Muslim Sultans Qutb Ud-Din Aibak, Shamsuddin- Iltutmish and Firoz Shah Tuglak. The first three storey of Qutub Minar constructed by red sandstone and the other two storey constructed with marble and sandstones. Its construction design was based on Afghanistan’s Minaret of Jam that why it also contains spiral stairs of 379 steps. Qutub Minar is the best example of the different styles of construction of building used in Qutb Ud-Din Aibak to Firoz Shah Tuglak time period. It is also an example of the Indo-Islamic architecture style of construction.
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| A view of Qutub Minar tower |
Qutub Complex
Other than Qutub Minar there are lots of other famous tourist attraction monuments also present in the surrounding area of Qutub Minar which were built by the Delhi Sultans from time to time. Some of the major archaeological monuments are listed below.
- Alai Darwaza
- Alai Minar
- Ala-ud-din Madrasa
- Iron Pillar of Delhi
- Major Smith's Cupola
- Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
- Tomb of Iltutmish
- Tomb of Imam Zamin
History of Qutub Minar
In 1192 Mohammed of Ghur’s general, Qutb Ud-Din Aibak founder of the Delhi Sultanate who captured Delhi from Hindu rulers started the construction of the Qutub Minar first storey immediately as a symbol of victory over Delhi’s last Hindu Kingdom. The construction of Qutub Minar started in 1192 and completed in 1220 by Aibak's son-in-law Shamsuddin- Iltutmish. Qutb Ud-Din Aibak only constructed the basement of the Qutub Minar, three more storey constructed by Iltutmish and Firoz Shah Tuglak completed the last two storey.
Restoration works or additions of Qutub Minar
Iron Pillar of Delhi
In 1369 due to the lightning strike on this historical monument its top storey was destroyed then Sultan of Delhi Firoz Shah Tuglak done restoration work it and added one more storey on it. The entrance to the tower is later added by Sher Shah Suri.
In 1505 due to the earthquake, it again damaged then that time Sultan of Delhi Sikandar Lodi starts the reconstruction of Qutub Minar's top two storey. Qutub Minar once again faced a major earthquake in September 1803 damaged badly then in 1828 its renovation work was done by the British Indian Army’s Major Robert Smith.
How to Reach Qutub Minar
Delhi is the capital of India so reaching Delhi for tourists either national or international is not a tough job. New Delhi is well connected to other cities by railway, bus services, and airplanes. In Delhi Qutub Minar is situated in the Southwest district of Delhi, Mehrauli. For reaching Mehrauli from Delhi you can take Metro, DTC bus or you can book cab also.
Visiting Time of Qutub Minar
It opens from 10:00 am to 06:00 pm daily. When I visit this place the entry fee was Rs. 30/- per head for Indians and for foreign tourists it was Rs. 500. Entry was free for children up to 15 years.