Qutb Minar
Qutub Minar is a minaret that
forms part of the Qutb complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli
area of Delhi, India. Made of red sandstone and marble, Qutub Minar is a
73-metre (240 feet) tall tapering tower of five storeys, with a 14.3 metre (47
feet) base diameter, reducing to 2.7 metres (9 feet) at the peak. It contains a
spiral staircase of 379 steps. Its design is thought to have been based on the
Minaret of Jam, in western Afghanistan.
Qutb al-Din Aibak, founder of the
Delhi Sultanate, started construction of the Qutub Minar's first storey around
1192. In 1220, Aibak's successor and son-in-law Iltutmish completed a further
three storeys. In 1369, a lightning strike destroyed the top storey. Firoz Shah
Tughlaq replaced the damaged storey, and added one more.
The Minar is surrounded by
several historically significant monuments of the Qutb complex, including
Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, which was built at the same time as the Minar, and the
much older Iron Pillar of Delhi. The nearby pillared Cupola known as
"Smith's Folly" is a remnant of the tower's 19th century restoration,
which included an ill-advised attempt to add a sixth storey.
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