QUTAB MINAR tallest minaret in the world
Qutab Minar, is accepted to remember the triumph and the start of Mughal time in India. The minar was worked by Qutab-ud-din Aibak in the wake of overcoming the last Hindu Kingdom in 12 th century . While red sandstone was utilized as a part of the development of initial three stories, marble and sandstone were utilized to build the last two stories.
Qutab Minar is part of Qutab complex in southern part of the city of Delhi. It is a minaret that forms part of Qutab Complex and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Qutab Minar is quite a tall minaret with the height of 73 meters with five storeys with a base diameter of 14.3 meter which reduces at the top of the minaret to just 2.7 meter. Qutab Minar has spiral staircase with 379 steps there. Each story of the Qutab Minar is distinct and each is marked by a projecting balcony. Qutab Minar has significant other monuments surrounding it. They happen to be Quwwat ul islam Mosque, nearby pillared cupola, the tomb of Imam Zamin, The tomb of Iltutmish and iron pillar of Delhi. Quwwat ul islam is said to be the first mosque built in India which lies at the north east foot of minaret. This magnificent structure consists of an inner and an outer courtyard ornamented with shafts, most of which were taken from the 27 Hindu temples demolished to build the mosque.
A provocative inscription carved over the eastern gate of the mosque records such information manifesting the presence of typical Hindu ornamentation in a Muslim mosque.
Alai Darwaza is 17.2 metres square and pierced by arched openings The arch to the north is semi-circular while the others are of the pointed horseshoe shape. These are all true arches built with radiating voussoirs and these lead into the central chamber.
Alai Minar which is opposite to qutab minar, it is 24.5 metres in height, adores the whole complex. Its construction was abandoned after Alauddin’s death because of weak foundation.
HISTORY OF QUTAB MINAR
Qutb-Ud-din Aibak was unable to construct the monument beyond 1st level, even then the minaret was known after him. In the year 1220 Shams-Ud-din Iltutmish also added 3 more levels to the formation who was the successor of Qutb-Ud-din.Later Firoz Shah Tughlaq rebuilt the entire levels with a bit of modification — he added 2 more floors to the formation which was the 5th and the final level. The construction of the entrance of the monument was done through Sher Shah Suri. After a period of 300 years, in the year 1803, the monument again faced some damages in the structure due to the earthquake. An addition of a pillared cupola to be able to sit on the 5th floor contributed as the 6th floor of the monument The 6th and the final level was demolished by Henry Hardinge and was then placed adjacent to the minar.the Qutub Minar is a brilliant piece of design and architecture of that time that sustains after hundreds of years.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF QUTAB MINAR
The architectural structure that displays Afghan style was inspired by Minaret of Jam situated in Afghanistan. All the levels of the monument have been supported with their own balcony alongside designed brackets. The base architectural structure for all the levels again is very different from one another. This is because of the way the story was constructed by different rulers at different points in time. Apart from the sandstones and the marbles that make the Qutub Minar look magnificent, there are inscription bands that have been placed in different sectors of the monument that tell the history. Qutab complex is rich in architecture and history every wall conveys a story of different eras in indian history , slight imperfection and different style of construction of domes showing that these are one of the first domes made in india and the builders of that time in india were not skilled in making these types of structures.
