Qutub Minar

About Qutub Minar, New Delhi

Soaring twelfth-century victory tower in Mehrauli

• Qutub Minar is a 72.5-metre-tall minaret situated in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi.
• Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded the red sandstone and marble tower in 1199 to celebrate the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, with subsequent storeys added by Shams-ud-din Iltutmish and Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
• Carved Arabic inscriptions and intricate fluting cover the exterior of all five tapering levels.
• Surrounding the tower sits a complex containing the ruins of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, the tomb of Iltutmish, and a famous 1,600-year-old rust-resistant iron pillar forged during the Gupta period.
• The grounds stay open daily from sunrise to sunset, with illuminated evening access running until 10:00 PM.
• Visiting between November and February avoids the harsh summer heat.
• Entry tickets cost fifty rupees for Indian citizens and six hundred rupees for foreign tourists, purchasable at the gates or online.