 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.
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.
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 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 |
