Qutub Minar enjoys the status of a must-visit status in Delhi as the tallest brick minaret in the world and attracts millions of visitors every year! It is also a UNESCO world heritage archaeological site. But you already know this. So, here we list a few interesting facts about the finest Indo-Islamic architecture that you might not know:
1. Construction
The Qutub Minar was built in three stages by three rulers of Delhi. Qutab-ud-din Aibak built one storey followed by his successor, Shams-ud-din Iltutmish who built three storeys more. After a lightning strike destroyed the top storey in 1369, Firoz Shah Tughlaq restored the monument to its former glory!
2. Qutub Complex
The Qutb Minar is surrounded by several great historical monuments and all of them together are referred to as “Qutb Complex”. The complex, therefore, includes Iron Pillar of Delhi, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque (which is said to be the first mosque build in India), Alai Darwaza, the Tomb of Iltutmish, Alai Minar, Ala-ud-din’s Madrasa and Tomb, the Tomb of Imam Zamin, Major Smith’s Cupola and Sanderson’s Sundial.
3. The Odd One Out
The top floor of the Minar was destructed by the lightning and rebuilt by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. These floors are therefore quite distinguishable from the rest of the Minar as they are made up of white marble.
4. Who is it Named After?
The construction of the Minar was led by Qutb-ud-din-Aibak, the founder of Delhi Sultanate in 1199. It was built on the Lal Kot or Red Citadel in Delhi. It has not been established whether Qutub Minar has been named after Qutb al-Din Aibak, the emperor or Qutubuddin Bakhtiar kaki, the famous Sufi saint.
5. The First and the Last
The Minar became the first historical monument to have an e-ticket facility. And Before 1974, the general public was allowed to access the top of the Minar. On December 4 1981, 45 people were killed in a stampede that was followed by an electricity failure that plunged the tower’s staircase into darkness. Consequently, public access to the inside of the tower has been banned ever since.
6. The One and Only
Alauddin Khilji commissioned to build another Minar like the Qutub Minar, but twice as high and more beautiful minaret. However, he died soon after and the project was never completed. What remains today resembles a stub of the intended minaret!
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India is a vast country and a mystery to most. Those who live in it, those who now live outside of India or those who are just visiting. We, at NRIClub™, serve as a centralized hub of information for the residents, non-residents and travellers who are not familiar with various aspects of this great country.
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