QUTUB MINAR
Qutub Minar in red and buff sandstone is the highest tower in India. It has a diameter of 14.32m at the
base and about 2.75m on the top with a height of 7.25m. Qutub-u’d-Din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, laid the foundation of Qutub Minar in AD 1199. The Minar was said to have been built to celebrate the
victory of Mohammed Ghori, the invader of Afghanistan, over the Rajputs in 1192.
Numerous
inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari characters in different places of the Minar cause to be seen the history of Qutub to the searching eyes of the visitors. According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88) and Sikander Lodi (AD 1489-1517).
Some believe that it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Other say it served as a minaret to the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer. No one can, however, dispute that the tower is not only one of the finest monuments in India, but also in the world.