Qutub Minar
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Template:World Heritage Sites in India
Qutub Minar is a minaret within the historic site known today as the Qutb complex in Mehrauli village in Delhi, India. It is an important example of Islamic architecture and along with the other mounuments in the complex, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Qutub_minar.JPG
Qutb-ud-din Aybak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutub Minar in 1193, but could only complete its basement. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more stories and, in 1368, Firuz Shah Tughluq constructed the fifth and the last story. The development of architectural styles from Aibak to Tuglak are quite evident in the minaret. The purpose for building this beautiful monument has been speculated upon, apart from the usual role of a minaret- that of calling people for prayer in a mosque- in this case the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The different reasons ascribed to its construction are- as a tower of victory, as a monument signifying the might of Islam and as a watch tower for defence.
The Qutub Minar is 72.5 metres high and visitors must climb 379 steps to get to the top. The diameter of the base is 14.3 metres wide while the top floor measures 2.7 metres in diameter. The Qutub Minar is made of fluted red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the holy Qur'an. Some controversy surrounds the origins for the name of the tower. Many historians believe that the Qutub Minar was named after the first Turkish sultan, Qutb-ud-din Aibak but others contend that it was named in honor of Khwaja Qutb-ud-din, a saint from Baghdad who came to live in India who was greatly venerated by Iltutmish.
In the compounds of Qutub Minar, there are many other interesting buildings and structures, including the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was the first mosque to be built in India. It was built by Qutub-ud-din Aybak using parts of 27 Jain and Hindu temples and both pre-Islamic and Islamic features are present.
The Qutub Minar is itself built on the ruins of Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika, the capital of the Rajput Tomaras and the Chauhans, the last Hindu rulers of Delhi. The mosque is in ruins today but one can see indigenous corbelled arches, floral motifs as well as Islamic architectural features such as squinches (setting arches diagonally to a square to support a dome), calligraphy and geometric patterns. Later monuments include the Ala-I-Darwaza and the Alai Minar built by Ala-ud-din Khilji (1296-1316).
To the west of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque is the tomb of Iltutmish which was built by the monarch in 1235. The construction of this mausoleum clearly represented a departure from the Hindu custom of cremating the dead.
Close to the mosque is the Iron pillar, one of Delhi's most curious structures. Dating to 4th century, the pillar bears an inscription which states that it was erected as a flagstaff in honor of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta II (375-413). Made of 98 per cent wrought iron, the pillar highlights ancient India's achievements in metallurgy. It has stood 1,600 years without rusting or corroding.
External links
- Quwwat Al-Islam Mosque (http://www.islamicarchitecture.org/architecture/quwwatalislammosque.html) Qutub Minarar:قطب منار