Qutab Minar is the world's highest brick minaret and an excellent example of Indo-Islamic architecture. The Qutab complex in South Delhi, India, houses the skyscraper. The Qutab Minar and its surrounding structures are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Qutab Minar is 72.5 metres tall and has 399 steps to the summit, yet tourists have been unable to enter the tower for some years owing to safety concerns. The base has a diameter of 14.3 metres, while the top story has a diameter of 2.75 metres. The tallest tower in India is the Qutab Minar, which is made of red and buff stand stone.
Aside from the minar, the Qutab complex contains a collection of structures surrounding Qutbuddin Aibak's Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. The Qutab Complex includes the Tomb of Iltutmish, the Alai Minar, the Alai Darwaza, the madrasa or school, and what is thought to be Ala-ud-din Khilji's Tomb. These three monarchs were each responsible for the initial fabric of this, one of India's first mosques, as well as its later modifications and extensions.
Qutab Minar's History
In AD 1199, Qutabuddin Aibak constructed the foundation of Qutab Minar for the use of Muazzin (crier) to offer calls to prayer and raised the first floor, to which his successor and son-in-law, Shamsud-Din IItutmish, added three additional stories (AD 1211-36). All of the levels are encircled by a projecting balcony that encircles the Minar and is supported by stone brackets with honeycomb designs, most notably on the first storey.
Numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari scripts reflect the history of Qutab at several locations throughout the Minar. According to the inscriptions on its surface, Firoz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88) and Sikandar Lodi renovated it (AD 1489-1517). In 1829, Major R. Smith also repaired and rebuilt the Qutab Minar. The minaret is composed of fluted red Sandstone and is adorned with exquisite carvings and Quranic texts. The Qutab Minar is erected atop the remains of Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in Dhillika, the capital of the Jat Tomars and Chauhans, Delhi's final Hindu kings.
Qutab Minar's Architecture
Qutab Minar is remains India's tallest stone tower and one of the finest Islamic constructions ever built. The main mosque has an inner and outer courtyard, the inner of which is enclosed by an elegant collonade with pillars constructed of beautifully adorned shafts. The Iron Pillar, which originates from the fourth century AD, is housed within the mosque complex.
The pillar is inscribed with the words "erected as a flagstaff in honour of the Hindu deity Vishnu and in remembrance of Gupta King Chandragupta II" (375-413 B.C). The pillar also shows ancient India's metallurgical achievements. The pillar is 98% wrought iron and has stood for 1,600 years without rusting or decaying.
In AD 1311, Ala-ud-Din Khilji built the Alai Darwaza, the southern doorway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. For the first time, a horseshoe arch and genuine dome are used at the doorway. This is the first structure to use Islamic construction and decoration principles. Ala-ud-Din Khalji erected a madrasa to the southwest of the Qutab Minar to educate youngsters in religion. He also began work on the Alai Minar, intending to make it double the size of the previous minar. It is located to the north of the Qutab Minar. He could only finish the first level, which presently stands at a height of 25 metres.
Aibak and Iltutmish's painters were Hindus, and the raw materials were sourced from existing Hindu and Jain temples. They deformed the images etched on the pillars since depicting human and animal figures is forbidden in Islam. By the time Ala-ud-Din Khilji came to power, Muslim control had been established in the nation, and numerous Central Asian artists had arrived. As a result, the architectural styles of Qutab-ud-Din Aibak, Iltutmish, and Ala-ud-Din Khilji are distinct.
In AD 1198, Qutabuddin Aibak constructed the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque to the northeast of the Minar. It is the oldest mosque still standing, erected by the Delhi Sultans. It is made out of a rectangular courtyard surrounded by cloisters that were built using the carved columns and architectural elements of 27 Hindu and Jain temples that were demolished by Qutabudin Aibak, as noted in his inscription on the main eastern entrance.
Shamsudin IItutmish (AD 1210-35) and Ala-ud-din Khilji built a towering arched screen and later expanded the mosque. The courtyard's Iron Pillar includes an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi writing from the 4th century AD, stating that the pillar was erected as a Vishnudhvaja atop the hill known as Vishnupada in honour of a great monarch named Chandra. A deep slot on the top of the elaborate capital suggests that an image of Garuda was probably fastened into it.
The Tomb of IItutmish (AD 1211-36) was constructed in 1235. It is a simple square chamber of red sandstone that has been lavishly carved with inscriptions, geometrical and arabesque designs in the Saracenic style on the openings and throughout the interior. Some of the features, such as the wheel and tassel, are evocative of Hindu themes. According to the inscriptions on the Alai Darwaza, the southern entryway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, Ala-ud-din Khilji built it in AD 1311. This is the first structure built with Islamic construction and decorating principles.
Other motives for its creation include a triumph tower, a monument to Islam's strength, and a defence watch tower. The origins of the tower's name are likewise a source of contention. Many historians believe that the Qutab Minar was named after the first Turkish sultan, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, but others believe that it was named after Khwaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki of Ush, a Baghdadi saint who came to live in India and was greatly revered by Iltutmish.
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