Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi

Qutb Minar is a minaret in India. It is in the Qutb complex in Delhi. Since 1993, Qutb Minar and its monuments have been the part of World Cultural Heritage sites of the UNESCO.

he Qutb Minar is a red sandstone tower with a height of 71 meters and diameter of around 15 meters at its base and 2.75 meters at the top. One has to climb 399 steps to reach the top storey. However, an ascent of the tower is no longer possible. The construction of Qutb Minar began probably after the victory of the Muslims over the Hindus around the year 1200. Between 1211 and 1236, it was completed as a victory tower and minaret. In the 15th century, it was repaired and partially rebuilt. It was damaged in beginning of the 19th century through an earthquake. However, these damages were mended meanwhile. The Qutb complex consists of beautiful Alai Darwaza (gate), a master work constructed in the year 1311 in the Indian Islamic art and two mosques. One of the mosques Quwwat Islam was constructed out of materials of about twenty old Hindu brahmin (priesters) temples, existed there before the construction of mosque. It is the oldest existed mosque in whole north India.