The
Qutub Minar, also spelled as Qutab Minar, or Qutb Minar, is the tallest minaret
in the world made up of bricks. The minaret forms a part of the Qutab complex,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, India.Qutub Minar
is a 73-metre (239.5 feet) tall tapering tower of five storeys, with a 14.3
metres (47 feet) base diameter, reducing to 2.7 metres (9 feet) at the top of
the peak.It contains a spiral staircase of 379 steps.Its design is thought to
have been based on the Minaret of Jam, in western Afghanistan.
Qutab-Ud-Din-Aibak,
founder of the Delhi Sultanate, started construction of the Qutub Minar's first
storey around 1192. In 1220, Aibak's successor and son-in-law Iltutmish
completed a further three storeys. In 1369, a lightning strike destroyed the
top storey. Firoz Shah Tughlaq replaced the damaged storey, and added one more.
Sher Shah Suri also added an entrance to this tower while he was ruling and
Humayun was in exile.
The
Minar is surrounded by several historically significant monuments of the Qutab
complex, including Quwat-ul-Islam Mosque, which was built at the same time as
the Minar, and the much older Iron Pillar of Delhi.The nearby pillared Cupola
known as "Smith's Folly" is a remnant of the tower's 19th century
restoration, which included an ill-advised attempt to add a sixth storey.
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