New Delhi, the capital of India, is a place with over 1,200 historical buildings and places of interest from all sorts of empires which existed here before. Qutb Minar, dating back to the early Islamic period which lasted from the end of 11th century to the end of 16th century, is the very first monument we will visit here. In India word minar is used to denote a tower or turret. Qutb Minar is made of stone and has five distinct storeys, each of them boasting its projecting balcony – an amazing piece of work.
The foundations of this minaret were laid by Qutb-ud-din Aibak (1150-1210) of the Mamluk dynasty towards the end of the 12th century – in 1193. When the construction was one storey high, Qutb-ud-din Aibak died. The remaining three storeys were constructed in matching material and style by his successor Iltutmish, commonly known as Altamash. Qutb Minar was completed in 1230. In 1368 it was damaged by lightning. Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309-1388) had the top storey replaced by the existing two storeys faced with marble during 1351-1388. It was again damaged by lightning in 1503 and Sikandar Lodi, who ruled from 1489 until 1517 had repairs done. The tower has a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and 2.75 m at the top. It soars to the height of 72.5 meters. This makes India´s biggest single tower and it is the highest stone tower in the world. It can be ascended by 379 steps. This minar is very beautifully decorated.
Iron Pillar of Delhi, dark gray tall slim column that does not rust. This famous iron pillar was erected in 3rd or 4th Century by king Chandra Gupta II, it is 7,21 m long and weighs over 6,000 kg and this is not its original location. It remained rust free since it was erected. How can it be that this pillar is resistant to corrosion? This question busied the minds of scientists for a long time and eventually they succeeded in explaining it. All articles and books about it make very interesting reading. According to local belief if you can get your fingers to touch, with your back to the pillar and arms around it, your wish will come true.
The pillar stands in the courtyard of Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and this mosque is the first mosque to be built in India. It was founded by Aibak in 1193, the same year when the foundations of the Qutb Minar minaret were laid. Iltutmish had it enlarged in 1230 and he had it enclosed into a courtyard surrounded by a collonnade. It is very interesting that in fact the first mosques of in Delhi were built of stones coming from Hindu temples.