Important Facts For Prelims
Qutub Minar
- 22 Sep 2021
- 2 min read
Why in News
Recently, steep stairways and wooden ramps among other changes have been brought at the World Heritage Site of Qutub Minar that will make the place accessible for disabled and the elderly.
- Humayun’s Tomb (1993) and Red Fort Complex (2007) are other world heritage monuments in Delhi.
Key Points
- It is a five-storeyed red sandstone tower (72.5 m high) built by Muslim conquerors in the thirteenth century to commemorate their final triumph over the Rajput rulers of Delhi (Qutub means victory), while also serving as a tower from where muezzins (criers) call for prayer at the Quwwatu’l-Islam mosque nearby.
- A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque.
- Its surrounding contains Alai-Darwaza Gate, the masterpiece of Indo-Muslim art (built in 1311).
- The building process of Qutub Minar took about 75 years. Its construction was started by Qutub-ud-din Aibak (1206-1210) in 1193 and finished by Iltutmish (1211-1236).
- In 1368, it was repaired by the rulers of the day, Muhammad-bin-Tughluq (1325-51) and Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351-88).
- The minar (tower) is engraved with fine arabesque decorations on its surface, mainly verses from the Quran.
- Qutub Minar and its monuments were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
