Explore Qutub Minar: India's Tallest Minaret

The national capital of Delhi is known to be a city with a rich historical background. This city was once the base of the much illustrated Mughal Sultanate in India. Naturally the city and its surrounding region have a number of historical constructions that can be dated back to the reign of the various Emperors of the Mughal dynasty. Apart from the Mughals there have also been other Imperial Emperor’s and men who were in high and powerful positions who lead projects of monument construction which have stood the test of time and have remained to be historical wonders of India. The Qutb Minar is one such specimen. It is also known as the Qutb Minar or the Qutab Minar. This is a minaret which was constructed as a victory tower. The Qutub Minar is a part of the Qutub complex and is a popular UNESCO World Heritage site in modern Mehrauli area of New Delhi.

Table of Contents

Qutub Minar build by

It was Muhammad of Ghor who founded the base of Delhi Sultanate. One of the deputies of Muhammad Ghor Qutubuddin Aibak began construction of the Qutub Minar after the death of Ghor. The first story of the Qutub Minar was beginning in the year 1199. This label has a number of inscriptions which work out in the praise of Muhammad of Ghor. Shamsuddin Iltutmish the son-in-law and the successor of Arabic completed the entire min. He completed the father 3 storey.

In the year 1369 a lightning struck Qutub Minar and the top story of the Minar was damaged. Firoz Shah Tughlaq off the time replace the damage stories and added a final one to them. During the reign of Sher Shah Suri and entrance was added to the Minar. Generally people think that Qutb Minar has been named after the person who initiated its construction qutubuddin Aibak. However there is also a possibility that the minerals was named after Khwaja qutubuddin bakhtiyar kaki who was a Sufi saint in 13th century. Historical documents suggest that Shamsuddin Iltutmish was a great devotee of Khwaja qutubuddin bakhtiyar kaki.

The Qutub Minar Timing

The Qutub Minar is one of the main historical sightseeing locations in Delhi. It attracts millions of visitors and tourists from different parts of the country and also the world every year. The Minaret is open for visitors and tourists all round the week even on weekends and public holidays. You can visit the minaret on any day of the week. It is open from morning 7 o’clock to 5:00 p.m. in the evening. Earlier people were allowed to go up the stairs however an accident in 1981 leads to unfortunate cases of mortality and many people getting hurt due to the failing of the staircase lights. This is when entry to the minaret has been stopped for the public.

Qutub Minar built Information

The Qutub Minar has a height of 72.5 meters which makes it one of the tallest minaret in the world built out of brick. The tapers of the tower has a base diameter of 14.3 meter which reduces as it goes up words. The top most taper has a base diameter of 2.7 meters. The Qutub Minar contains a spiral staircase within which consists of 379 steps. The closest Minar that competes with Qutb Minar is the minaret of jam in Afghanistan. It is a 62 meter long made out of brick. It was constructed in the year 1190 which was about a decade before the beginning of the Qutub Minar. The Qutub has elaborately decorated surface that contains geometric patterns and a number of inscriptions.

Qutub Minar Location & How to Reach

Qutub Minar is in Delhi. Hence to reach Qutub Minar you need to come down to Delhi first from where you can easily plan any local transport to the exact sightseeing destination. Delhi being the national capital of India is well connected with all the other parts of the country as well as various International destinations. The Indira Gandhi International Airport is the closest airport to Qutub Minar and is at a distance of 13.8 km. It will take you about half an hour ride from this airport to the spot of Qutub Minar. The New Delhi railway station is the closest railway station from Qutub Minar and is about 17 km away from the World Heritage site. You can easily hire a cab and come down to Qutub Minar within 1 hour’s time. The Qutb Minar bus stand is the nearest bus stop from the minaret and is located just outside the entry gate of the monument. The DTDC buses travel this route and will be available at the bus stand. You can also avail by a metro and can get down at the Qutub Minar metro station. From here you can take an auto which will take you to the monument within 6 minutes.

Qutub Minar Entrance Fee:

As an Indian tourist you need to pay Rs. 35 as the entry fee to see the Qutub Minar. Foreign tourist must pay Rs. 550 as their entry fee to see the Qutub Minar. The tourist will be allowed to enter the Minar and climb the stairs to the top of it. Children below the age of 15 years can visit the Qutub complex for free. You can buy the entry tickets once you are at the spot of the Qutub complex. Otherwise you can also buy the tickets online before you reach the Qutub complex. Buying the tickets online is a much better idea as you can buy the tickets from the comfort of your house and you don’t need to stand in any long queues.

Qutub Minar Architecture & Important Structures

The Qutub Minar has a highly intricate architecture. The mineral has Lotus borders with carvings of looped bells and garlands. The tower consists of five tapering storey’s and is facilitated with the spiraling staircase inside. The lower 3 storey has cylindrical hilt which are made out of red sandstone. They are separated by balconies and rims using Muqarna truss. Marble has been used to make fourth and the fifth storey’s of the minar. Red sandstone has also been used in these two stories. They have beautiful engraving that consists of instructions from Quran and are decorated with beautiful motifs. You can also find instructions of Paarso-Arabic and Nagari characters. The minar has a unique feature of 65cm tilt from the vertical. However this feature however has not affected its safety index. The modern archaeological department keeps a stringent vigilance on the monument to keep a track of water damage that is being rendered to the monuments due to continuous rain water seepage.

Best time to visit Qutb Minar

Visiting the Qutub Minar means you need to be out in the open for quite some time. The Qutub complex also has a number of other constructions, minarets and mosques around which should be checked out when you are at the destination. Going through all these constructions and monuments will take you at least about a couple of hour’s time. This means you need to be out in the open for quite some time. Delhi being notorious for its scorching summer you should not visit the place during the peak summer season. The months between November and March happens to be the most favorable to visit Qutb Minar. During this time the temperature is considerable in moderate and test you can remain out those for few hours at a stretch without being uncomfortable in any way around this time the weather is clear and you can enjoy a wonderful photography near the Qutub Minar.

History of Qutb minar

There has been much controversy regarding the Qutb Minar. The history of this monument is shrouded in a number of conflicting views. There is controversy regarding the credits of construction of the monument. Further there is also a controversy regarding the naming of the monument. One thing that stands corroborated is that this Minar was created to celebrate and mark the victory of Muhammad Ghori over the Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan in the year 1192. Later Qutubuddin Aibak the viceroy of Mohammed Ghori became the first ruler of the Mamluk dynasty and undertook the construction of Qutub Minar. The minaret has experienced severe fury of the nature. India 1368 it was struck by lightning then again in the year 1803 and earthquake tried to ravage the minaret. The minaret was restored and repaired at different stages under the guidance of different leaders. This is the main reason why Qutub Minar has different architectural artistic carving on it.

Attractions nearby qutub minar

Soon after visiting Qutub Minar make an itinerary of other places you would like to visit in Delhi. At the very beginning it’s important to mention that this will be a long list. You can check out the following sightseeing destinations