Qutub Minar in New Delhi

Qutub Minar is the world’s tallest red sandstone tower and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the historical place in India which is located at 15 km in south direction from New Delhi. It is one of the tallest minaret in India and It is made from red sandstone and marbles and it’s height is 73 m.

Qutub Minar was built in the early 13th century by the slave-emperor Qutub-ud-din Aibak and his successor Shams-ud-din Iltutmish. Aibak started work on the first storey in 1199 AD, which continued for the next 21 years. Around 1220 AD, Iltutmish added three storeys to Qutub Minar. However, lightning struck the fourth storey in 1369 destroying it completely. Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the 19th emperor of Delhi (1351-1388) carried out repairs, replacing the damaged storey with two new storeys.

Divided into five storeys, Qutub Minar has five projecting circular balconies with fluting on the first three storeys. The balconies act as ornamental bands, adorned with intricate and delicate carvings and inscriptions. Red sandstone has been used in the construction of the first three storeys, and both white marble and red sandstone in the last two.