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 Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in
the world, and an important example of Indo-Islamic
Architecture. The tower is in the Qutb complex at Delhi,
India. The Qutub Minar is 72.5 metres high and requires 379
steps to get to the top, although it has not been possible for
visitors to ascend the tower for some years, due to safety
reasons. The diameter of the base is 14.3 metres wide while
the top floor measures 2.7 metres in diameter. It is listed as
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan and wishing to
surpass it, Qutb-ud-din Aybak, the first Muslim ruler of
Delhi, commenced construction of the Qutub Minar in 1193; but
could only complete its basement. His successor, Iltutmish,
added three more storeys and, in 1368, Firuz Shah Tughluq
constructed the fifth and the last storey. The development of
architectural styles from Aybak to Tughluq are quite evident
in the minaret. Like earlier towers erected by the Ghaznavids
and Ghurids in today's Afghanistan, the Qutub Minar comprises
several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated
by balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels. The minaret is made
of fluted red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and
verses from the Qur'an, and is built on the ruins of Lal Kot,
the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika. According to John
Keay's "History of India," 27 previous Hindu and Jain temples
were destroyed and their materials reused to construct the
minar.
T he 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 to the northeast of minar in AD 1198.
It is the earliest extant -mosque built by the Delhi
Sultans.Other reasons ascribed to its construction are as a
tower of victory, a monument signifying the might of Islam, or
a watch tower for defence. Controversy also surrounds the
origins for the name of the tower. Many historians believe
that the Qutb Minar was named after the first Turkish sultan,
Qutb-ud-din Aibak but others contend that it was named in
honour of Khwaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki, a saint from
Baghdad who came to live in India who was greatly venerated by
Iltutmish. According to the inscriptions on its surface it was
repaired by Firuz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88) and Sikandar Lodi
(AD 1489-1517). Major R.Smith also repaired and restored the
minar in 1829
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