Qutub Minar is the tallest minaret created by the builders of the past, both in the world and in India. Previously, this complex was located in the center of the capital, and it just so happened that over time the city was built up and populated from the destroyed minaret. Now Qutub Minar is practically on the outskirts of a multimillion-dollar city.

At first glance, the entire historical complex delights and stuns with its built-up area and the grandeur of the buildings that once stood on this site. The tilt of the tower is immediately noticeable. Perhaps this is due to an earthquake, or perhaps this is what the builders intended? We cannot ask eyewitnesses of those times. It is said that the tower still stands thanks to the word of the Koran. Everything can be...
Qutub Minar is now listed as a World Heritage Site and is protected by the government.

And here we are in front of the entrance. In front of us is a small, beautiful arch. Behind it you can see the ruins of a once beautiful historical complex. At a small cash register there is a large queue that does not obey any laws, everyone tries to squeeze forward. Everyone wants to get their tickets at the same time and eagerly squeezes past, looking at us. Finally, our patience runs out and I also resolutely squeeze through to the treasured window with a smile. The tickets have been purchased and we, slightly rumpled, go to the entrance.

The tallest minaret in the world.

As the guide told us: “The first tier of the Qutub Minar was built at the end of the 12th century by Prince Chauhan for his daughter, so that she could admire the beautiful views of the banks of the wonderful Yamuna River from above. But after a few years, the Muslim ruler Aibek changed the appearance of the tower. The tower then received the name that has come down to us through the centuries - Qutb Minar. Then his descendants completed the construction of Qutub Minar. In 1370, Emperor Tughlaq finally completed construction, completing the last IV and V tiers, and thus became famous in history. And here in front of us is this majestic structure - the Qutub Minar tower, which has survived to our times. Imagine the height of two 9-story buildings stacked on top of each other. So, its height is 72.6 meters, the diameter of the base is 14 meters, and the diameter of the top is about 3 meters.

Despite its impressive size, the minaret looks like a light and graceful tower thanks to the subtle pattern laid out in red and yellow sandstone.
The paintings on the stones show us the stages of construction of the Qutub Minar. Changes in style can be traced by the appearance of the additions. The Qutub Minar tower was built in honor of the victory of Islam; numerous inscriptions in Hindi and Arabic are preserved on it - the mixture of languages ​​is explained by different building materials, because stones from Hindu temples destroyed after the conquest of the territory were used. Previously, the tower had a dome, but an earthquake destroyed it; in 1802 it was replaced with another, but it did not match the style of the minaret and was removed in 1848, and remained lying nearby.

Gate of Islam.

In front of us is a huge gate - also called the Allai Darwaza gate or the “gate of Islam”, they are truly beautiful, the numerous carvings surprise and delight, you can stand nearby for a long time, looking at this wonder of the world, which is what I did. The skill and skill of the ancient masters is amazing.

Not far from the gate we saw the tomb of a 15th century saint. Imam Muhammad Ali, who was popularly known as Imam Zamin. By the way, he was born and raised in Turkestan.

The power of Islam.

Next to the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, it is also called “The Power of Islam”, it is called the Great Mosque, which was built during the reign of Aibek.
The inscriptions in Persian directly indicate that the building materials were also taken from the ruins of destroyed Hindu temples.
Immediately after the conquest of India by Muslims, a whole complex of beautiful, ancient temples was destroyed; they seized the land and immediately began to introduce their faith. And the stones of the destroyed temples were used in construction. It was the first mosque erected in the capital of India after the conquest.

One of the Khilji rulers decided to perpetuate his name and eclipse the beauty and grandeur of the Qutub Minar and planned to build a Minaret twice as tall, but he failed to realize his dream. He managed to build a tower with a height of only 24.5 meters. So this symbol of vanity and pride stands destroyed.

Next to the Qutub Minar stands another popular attraction of the complex. One of the hypotheses for the appearance of this column is associated with a meteorite that fell to the ground, allegedly 3 columns were made from it, two fell and are now in the ground, the third was installed several times after the fall. Another hypothesis is associated with ancient civilization; it is assumed that the manufacturing process is associated with the growth of the lattice structure of iron. Now some small crystals are grown this way. This is how scientists explain its medicinal properties.

Legends of the minaret.

People have known about the healing properties of a metal column for a long time, which is why even now there are quite a lot of people who want to hug it. Now this is impossible since it is fenced with a small fence, but they say that you can negotiate with the guard and touch the coveted iron, but we were not able to see this. We would like to take advantage of this opportunity and get some treatment, but we did not violate the ban.

Many vacationers settled down under the trees. It was clear that these were locals, having grabbed drinks and food and rested in the coolness.

Qutub Minar is a beautiful park. Beautiful lawns, flowers, trimmed bushes with bright flowers, many elegant benches - everything aroused delight and admiration, but we looked with sadness at this “pearl” that was once beauty and pride.
Time mercilessly erases traces of civilizations, destroys what people have created, so this complex could not resist the flow of time...
Now it appears before us in a destroyed form, only part of the screen with inscriptions in Arabic and drawings, and part of the covered arched galleries, but these impressive ruins allow us to judge the grandeur, beauty and elegance of the architecture.

The next major historical site in Delhi was the Qutub Minar, which our guide noted as a Muslim temple with nothing Muslim about it.

Qutub Minar

What is special about this large brick tower? The fact is that Qutub Minar is the tallest minaret in the world, built of brick. Its height is about 73 meters, its diameter at the bottom is 15 meters, at the top - 3 meters.

If you look closely, you will notice that the Qutub Minar consists of several parts that differ in design. The reason for this, as always in those days, is simple - the pace of construction is too slow. Or the customer's life expectancy is too short.

The first Muslim ruler of India began to build it. Please note - a Muslim ruler. At the end of the 12th century, Muslim troops broke the resistance of the disunited Indian principalities. By the beginning of the 13th century, a single Muslim state was formed throughout Northern India - the Delhi Sultanate, and Islam became the new religion of India.

As a result, the confrontation between Muslims and Hinduism led to the fact that at the time of gaining independence, the British divided India into two parts, separating a Muslim region from the old large India - Pakistan. Despite the official version voiced by the guide about the absence of contradictions and peaceful existence, it seemed to us that not everything is smooth here in the mixed Indian society. But I got ahead of myself. So, the Muslim ruler Qutb ud-Din Aibek began building the largest minaret in the world, but only managed to complete the foundation. His heir added 3 more tiers, and the construction was completed in 1368, adding the 4th and 5th tier.

The purpose of the minaret is, as always, prosaic - to show who is the coolest here. And the rest of the time, survey the surrounding area.

Historians pay attention to the unusual design of the tower. It is not typical for Muslims; moreover, the motifs of Hindu temples are very clearly expressed in it. Perhaps this was done on purpose, since the Hindus had a tradition of celebrating major victories by erecting a “victory tower.” And this design option was chosen so that the tower would remind the Hindus, in a symbolic language they understood, who won this battle.

Previously, entry to the tower was allowed and one could climb to the observation deck at the very top. However, an accident happened: two schoolchildren on an excursion fell from above and were killed. For this reason, the entrance to the tower was closed to outsiders, and since they stopped maintaining the steps in working condition, then, according to the guide, now climbing up is already risky in itself.

The next exhibit, located in close proximity to the Qutub Minar, was the grandiose Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque (which means the Power of Islam), which is also called the Great Mosque of Delhi. But now you will no longer see it, since it is completely destroyed and one can only guess about its size.

Why is she interesting? Construction of the mosque began in 1190 and was built from the remains of twenty-seven destroyed Hindu and Jain temples. This can be seen very clearly from the columns, they are all different.

Since Islam prohibits the depiction of “animals” (as our guide liked to say) and people, only abstract signs, in order to comply with the requirements of Islam, but not to part with free building material, all animals and people had their heads and other particularly prominent parts of the body cut off.

In this form, the images no longer violated the foundations of Islam and the columns of old Hindu temples went into construction.

This was the first mosque built in Delhi after the Islamic conquest.

In addition, the tomb of Sultan Alu-ud-din Khilji has also been preserved. I don’t know what he became famous for; there is no trace left in my memory.

On the way out, we asked the guide what other round ruins were visible behind the trees. It turns out that another ruler decided to surpass Qutub Minar and began to lay the foundation of a more grandiose tower, but did not have time for reasons already familiar to us.

After his death, for some reason there were no people willing to continue construction.

Well, in conclusion, one more shot (as promised by nikor 35 mm)

These nooks, 2-3 meters deep, were... “hotel” rooms. Previously, everything was very simple.

Delhi Iron Pillar

And now about something much more interesting. From chemistry/physics lessons, many will remember the famous stainless iron pillar that was found in India. The pillar is 7 meters high and weighs 6 tons. And we saw him!

Qutub Minar (center) and stainless iron pillar (right)

The pillar was originally located in the Vishnu temple in Mathura. Then the temple was destroyed by you know who, the remains of the temple were used as building materials for the Qutb Minar and the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. They couldn’t find a use for the pillar, so it just stands there. It has stood for 1600 years, being a headache for the local cultural department. After all, if the pillar stands and nothing happens to it, then no budget is allocated for it, no restoration work can be done, no alcohol, no sandpaper can be written off. An unprofitable exhibit from an economic point of view for posterity.

Photo by A. Moiseeva

Of course, no one wanted to come to terms with such a situation, so they began to study the mysterious pillar.

Chemical analyzes of what we managed to pick out from it revealed that the pillar consists of very pure iron (99.4-99.8%). Among the impurities, almost the majority is phosphorus. In terms of carbon content (up to 0.15%), it is low-carbon steel. Chemical composition: Iron - 99.722% Phosphorus - 0.114% Carbon - 0.08% Silicon - 0.046% Nitrogen - 0.032% Sulfur - 0.006% I.e. By and large, ordinary iron. Other pieces of iron made by craftsmen around the world at a similar time practically do not survive to this day or survive in a very rusty state.

Why doesn't this iron pillar rust? There are several versions.

The pillar is made of pure meteorite iron, and as you know, everything that is in any way connected with “from there” does not automatically require further evidence. If the iron is “from there”, then it has the right not to rust.

This is an ancient civilization, since in those days there was simply no technology to cast a pillar of this size. And the ancient civilization, of course, “is from there”

This is not civilization, aliens brought it “from there” straight and left it for us so that we know. And we, stupid people, still don’t know.

Wherever the word “from there” appears, secondary consequences immediately arise. For example, they say that the column has healing properties; if you hug it, you will be happy and healed from all diseases. It is important to stand near the column for at least half an hour. If this column were brought to us, then another alien property of the column would be revealed. If in a frost of minus 40 a naked Indian hugs a column and even licks it, then it will pull him towards her and will not let him go until it gets warmer! This will be a cooler mystery than self-healing!

But the secret, as it turned out, is revealed simply - Many years of efforts by Russian researchers have revealed a number of previously unknown features of this building. For example, it turned out that the foundation of the column is made in the form of a double-sided pyramid (rhombus)(Note by V.S. - apparently these same scientists finally looked at the pillar for the first time) , it forms a vertical energy flow invisible to the ordinary eye, resembling a candle flame in shape, about 8 meters high and more than 2 meters in diameter. They also found a miniature nuclear reactor inside the column, the radiation of which protects the column from rusting. Now everything immediately fell into place... Of course, the aliens had nothing to do with it, the ancient Indians just stuck the reactor into an ordinary piece of iron. No ufology, everything is earthly, human. And to be honest, I’m already sick of this cosmic nonsense (see). The reactor and the diamond, of course, easily explain the miracle of healing - energy flows are great power. Especially in the form of a candle.

Another amazing thing is that in 1739 a cannonball was fired at the pillar, which did not cause any harm to it, as the guidebooks claim. Considering that cannonballs weighed on average from a kilogram to 18 kg, a large cannon would hardly have been rolled out for this experiment; they would most likely have been fired from some kind of infantry gun. Let it be 9 kg. The weight of the pillar is 6 tons. Therefore, the most that the core could do was a small dent. And it's on the pole. But there is nothing “surprising” in this fact.

The topic was interesting to me from an engineering point of view, although I am not a metal specialist, I only have general ideas from a technical school course. Here's what we found out. Firstly, the pillar is not of cosmic origin, since it does not contain impurities characteristic of “cosmic iron”, in particular nickel. Therefore, the version “from there” begins to collapse. Secondly, this pillar is far from unique. In the city of Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) there are several metal pillars similar to the famous iron column, only they are older and located horizontally.

Three stainless steel pillars from the city of Dhar

And by the way, they are not round. Only about these three pillars they give very little information, since if they are brought and placed next to Delhi, then the version of direct origin “from there” immediately begins to fade. As well as other incredible pillar abilities.

Moreover, traces of corrosion were found at the base of the Delhi pillar, and if I’m not mistaken, the pillar was cleaned in the 60s of the last century. I don't think they only cleaned it of bird droppings. Because at one time he looked like this:

An old photo makes you doubt the complete “stainless steel”

Since the analysis was carried out not only by the above-mentioned “pseudo-researchers”, but also by other scientists, the following conclusions seemed most plausible to me:

The chemical composition of iron contains a high percentage of phosphorus, which forms a protective layer on the surface of the metal and at the same time makes the product made from such iron brittle. Look again at the photo of the cannonball impact site and the cracks that went sideways.

Indian scientists from the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Electrochemistry and Corrosion Division, Defense Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur conducted detailed research in February 2002 with the following summary (translated from English as best I could): A critical factor in high corrosion resistance is the formation of a thin metal oxide layer, which dramatically reduces the corrosion rate. The process of forming a protective layer of crystalline phosphate is aided by wetting and drying cycles, which is an important contribution to corrosion resistance. Thus, the corrosion resistance of the Delhi iron pillar is due to both the environment and the high phosphorus content that provides a protective film of crystalline iron hydrogen phosphate.

Indian scientists believe that the ancient blacksmiths did not have unique knowledge of the chemistry of alloys, but simply selected the composition of iron experimentally. And if we remember that the ancient Hindus invented damask steel and were generally very experienced metallurgists, then the voiced version seems to me the most correct.

This ended our acquaintance with Delhi, and we went to Agra.

The grandiose structure of the Qutub Minar, or Victory Tower, is located in the capital of India, Delhi. Constructed from red sandstone bricks, this tower is the tallest brick minaret in the world. Its height is 72.6 meters.

Qutub Minar was built in several stages over 175 years. The idea of ​​​​creation belonged to Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Islamic ruler of India, in 1193, who deliberately destroyed 27 Hindu and Jain temples in order to obtain materials for construction. But during his lifetime, only the foundation of the tower was laid, the diameter of which was about 14 meters. And the project was completed only in 1368 under the ruler Firuz Shah Tughlaq.

Due to the fact that the Qutub Minar was built over such a long period of time and under the guidance of various architects, it is possible to trace changes in the architectural style of the tiers of the tower. The minaret has five tiers, each of which in itself is a real masterpiece. The entire column, from its base to the very top, is covered with beautiful subtle patterns and inscriptions carved directly onto the bricks.

Near the minaret itself there are several more structures, which together with it make up the Qutub Minar complex. This is the Ala-i-minar, the oldest mosque in northern India - Quwwat-ul-Islam, the Ala-i-Darwaza gate, the tomb of Imam Zamin and a mysterious metal column that does not corrode. It is believed that if you can close your hands around her while standing with your back to her, then any wish you make will certainly come true.

In 1993, the Qutub Minar was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Qutb Minaret(also called "Qutab Minaret" and "Qutub Minaret") is the tallest minaret in India and an ancient monument of Islamic culture, which stands in the south of the city of New Delhi. Surrounding it are the ruins of other buildings, collectively known as the "Qutb complex".

IN 1192 year in the eastern part of the fortified city of Lal Kot * (in the lane “Red Fortress”), under the leadership of the ruler of North-West India Qutb ud-Din Aibak, construction of the parish began Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque(in the translation “The Power of Islam”). According to the inscriptions in Persian at the eastern entrance, the material for it was taken from the ruins of a complex of 27 ancient Hindu and Jain temples, which were destroyed due to the seizure of the territory by Muslims and the beginning of Islam as the main religion. Construction was largely completed in 1198, although there were subsequently two expansions - under the third ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, Shams ad-Din Iltutmish (1211 - 1236) and under the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India, Ala ud-Din Khilji (1296 - 1316). ).

Mosque design and style Quwwat-ul-Islam is very similar to the Adhai-din-ka Jhonpra Mosque in the city of Ajmer in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, which was also built under Qutub-ud-Din Aibak at the same time. The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque consisted of a courtyard, cloisters and a prayer hall. She occupied square 43 x 32 meters and between 1210 and 1220 it was surrounded on four sides by covered arched galleries (klutars). A stone screen with drawings and Arabic inscriptions, separating the prayer hall from the courtyard, appeared here in 1196.

Now only part of the arched screen and a significant part of the cloister remain from the monastery.

Qutb Mosque and Qutb Minaret

Construction Qutb minaret also began under Qutb ud-din Aibak around 1202, but was completed only under his successor Shams ad-Din Iltutmish in 1230. It was damaged due to lightning strikes in 1326 and 1368 and restored, respectively, under Ghazi Muhammad- Shah Tughlaq (1325 - 1351) and Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351 - 1388). Under the latter, the topmost, fourth, floor of the minaret was divided into two after a lightning strike in 1368. Inscriptions on the minaret indicate that in 1503 it underwent another major renovation and expansion of the upper floors due to a lightning strike under Sultan Sikandar Shah of Lodi (1489 - 1517).

Qutb Minaret is a huge column of polished red sandstone blocks, rising 72.5 meters, which tapers from 14.32 meters in diameter at the base to 2.75 meters at the top, making it the tallest stone tower in India. There are 379 steps inside the minaret. In addition to the traditional role of calling people to prayer, he played another role - monument in honor of the victory Sultan Shihab ad-Din Muhammad Ghuri over the Maharaja of the Rajput Chauhan dynasty, Prithviraj Chauhan, in 1192, as evidenced by an inscription in the Nagari language.

Now the Qutb Minaret consists of five floors, each of which is separated from the previous one by a richly decorated balcony with stucco moldings and inscriptions. Three lower floors decorated differently: the outer surface of the first has alternating angular and semicircular projections, the second has only semicircular projections, and the third has only angular projections. At the very top there was originally also a dome, but it collapsed during the earthquake of 1802 and was soon replaced by another, in the late Mughal style. It was so inconsistent with the minaret that in 1848 it was removed and left lying nearby.

After an accident in 1981, the entrance to the minaret was closed.

The Qutb complex also includes:, which is no less famous than the minaret itself, the Alai Darwaza gate, the tombs of Iltutmish, Imam Zamin and Ala ud-Din Khilji, the madrasah and the unfinished Alai minaret.

Alai Darwaza

Alai Darwaza(in the translation “Alai Gate”) is a kind of gate to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, which is located on the south side. The construction of the gate was completed in 1311 under Ala ud-Din Khilji (hence its name), during which time the mosque also gained a courtyard on the eastern side.

The gate of Alai Darwaza looks like small two-story building with windows and a dome. It was built of red sandstone and decorated with white marble. The outside of the gate is completely covered with magnificent carved panels, works of art by Turkish craftsmen, in which traditional motifs are interspersed with Arabic script in the Naskh style. All surfaces inside are also decorated.

The Alai Darwaza is considered the first example of true Islamic architecture in India, as well as one of the most significant buildings erected during the Delhi Sultanate.

Tomb of Iltutmish

Tomb of the ruler of the Mamluk Sultanate Shams ad-Din Iltutmish, the second Sultan of Delhi (1211 - 1236), built in 1235, is also an important part of the Qutb complex. His coffin stands in a fenced round room with an area of ​​9 sq.m. The tomb has no ceiling, but judging by the lintels at the top, there was once a dome there, which collapsed, probably due to one of the earthquakes. The external facade of this room, as well as all openings and internal surfaces, are distinguished by exquisite carvings. The cenotaph (an empty coffin; the body of Iltutmish himself is not there) made of white marble stands on a pedestal in the very center. Inside, on the western side, there is a marble mihrab, a semicircular niche towards which worshipers turn. It is notable for the fact that the carvings decorating it also contain Hindu motifs, for example, lotus, tassels, and diamonds.

Tomb of Imam Zamin

Tomb of Imam Muhammad Ali, also called Imam Zamin, stands on a raised platform next to the Alai Darwaza (see above). According to the inscription at the eastern entrance, Imam Zamin was a saint from Turkistan who migrated to India around 1500 during the reign of Sikandar Shah Lodi (1489 - 1517). The Imam built his own tomb and was buried in it after his death in 1539. It is a square room with a large dome on an octagonal drum and differs from other buildings in the complex in that along the perimeter it does not have blank walls, but jali - carved panels characteristic of the architecture of the Lodi period.

Tomb of Ala ud-Din Khilji and madrassa

In the southwestern corner of the complex there are Tomb of Ala ud-Din Khilji, dating from about 1316, and built by him madrasah- Islamic educational institution. Ala ud-Din was the second Sultan of Delhi from the Khilji dynasty, who reigned from 1296 to 1316. The madrasah, unlike the tomb, which does not have a dome, is in good condition.

Alai Minaret

On the same axis with the Qutb minaret, a few tens of meters away, stands unfinished Alai minaret. Its construction began under Ala ud-Din Khilji, who wanted to build a minaret twice as large as the Qutb. However, he died after only the first floor was completed, and work on the minaret ceased forever. Now the first floor is 24.5 meters high.

Other cultural monuments

The complex also has sundial(southeast of Alai Darvaza), unnamed graves, parts of the ancients Hindu and Jain temples, which can be distinguished by characteristic carving motifs.

The Qutb complex is a world cultural heritage site protected by UNESCO.

*Lol Kot subsequently became part of the city of Delhi.

What the entire Qutb complex should have looked like

Useful information about the Qutub complex in Delhi, India

Location:

South East New Delhi

How to get there:

Buses 34, 413, 427, 463, 463EXT, 502, 505, 517, 523, 525EXT, 533. 534. 539, 629 or 714 to the Qutub Minar stop
Saket metro station (yellow line), from which to the Qutub complex you need to walk about 700 meters along Mehrauli Badarpur road

Qutub Minar, the great minaret of India

There are many assumptions and hypotheses regarding the construction of the mosque. According to one of them, Qutb ad-Din began to build the tower. The protege of Sultan Muhammad Ghurid was a slave by origin, bought in Central Asia. But with his pious behavior and kind attitude towards his comrades, he earned the favor of the Sultan. As a reward, Muhammad appointed Qutb ad-Din as governor of the conquered Indian territories. Being impressed by the Afghan one, Qutb ad-Din decided to build a minaret that was not only in no way inferior to it, but even surpassed it in beauty.

The foundation of the future tower was laid in 1193, but then construction stalled. Later, during the reign of Shamsuddin Iltutmish, the heir of Qutb ad-Din, three tiers of the tower were erected. And only under Emperor Firuzshah Tughlaq in 1368 the last fifth tier was completed. Now the height of the minaret is seventy-two and a half meters, and 379 steps lead to the top of the building.

Looking at the tower from the bottom up, you can trace how the architectural style of that time developed and changed. The Qutub Minar was built on the territory of the oldest Indian mosque, Quwwat-ul-Islam, which translated meant “the power of Islam.” Before this, there were several Hindu places of worship, including the temple of the god Vishnu, created in 1143 by Prithviraj Chauhan. Some walls of Hindu temples have survived to this day and peacefully coexist with the minaret.

The tower is made of red sandstone, and white marble was used above the third tier during construction. The tower was once crowned with a dome, but during the earthquake of 1803 it collapsed. They did not restore it, and its remains remained lying not far from the minaret.

The diameter of the base of the tower is 14.3 meters. With each tier, the tower narrows more and more, and on the fifth tier the diameter of the floor is only 2.7 meters. The walls of the tower are painted with intricate carvings, among which there are sayings from the Koran.

However, during the construction of such a high minaret, perhaps the main feature of such buildings was lost. As you know, the minaret serves as a place from which the muezzin’s calls to prayer are heard several times a day. However, the tower turned out to be so high that the muezzin’s cry was almost inaudible from it.

Architectural ensemble Qutub Minar

It is worth noting that in addition to the tower, there is another, no less interesting attraction - a small iron column, which is installed not far from the minaret. The height of this seemingly simple structure is only 7.2 meters, and its weight is about 6 tons.

If you believe the chronicles, the column was cast in 895 BC. The question arises: how could the column remain intact to this day and not rust?! Thanks to a series of tests, it was possible to establish that the chemical composition of the column is almost 100% pure iron.

It still remains a mystery how it was possible to obtain a similar composition of iron by smelting, since at that time this procedure was technically impossible! There are rumors that the material for smelting was a meteorite that fell to Earth almost three thousand years ago.

When in 1739 the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah wanted to take the iron pillar to his homeland, he was unable to pull the column out of the ground. In desperation, Nadir Shah ordered cannonballs to be fired at it, which left only minor marks on the surface.

It is believed that if you hug the column and make a wish, it will certainly come true. The belief in such a mystical power of the column is so great that the administration of the minaret decided to fence the column for its better preservation.

In 1311, Sultan Alauddin Khilji added a magnificent gate to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, called Alai Darwaza, or the Gate of Allah. Decorated with fine marble carvings, the gate arch (height 18.3 m) is shaped like a curved horseshoe. Alai Darwaza is considered one of the most remarkable examples of Indo-Muslim architectural synthesis.

A little below the level of the gate, a small, square tomb of Imam Zamin, the chief cleric of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, was built of sandstone and white marble. Imam Zamin came to India from Turkistan during the time of Sikander Lodi and was a highly revered person among Indian Muslims.

On the opposite side of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, opposite Alai Darwaza, rises a curious structure, reminiscent in shape of the base of the Qutb Minar. This is Alai Minar. Alauddin Khilji, being an extremely vain man, decided to surpass his predecessors and build a tower that would be more than double the height of Qutub Minar (183 m). Construction of the Alai Minar began in 1311, but the walls were raised only 15 m. With the death of Alauddin in 1315, work stopped and the tower remained unfinished. The entrance to it is located on the east side. The presence of a platform under the minaret also fully meets the requirements of Muslim architecture.

The tomb of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmysh is also of interest as an architectural monument. The mausoleum was built in 1235 by the daughter of the Sultan, Razia Begam, who herself ruled in Delhi in 1236-1240. The tomb is considered one of the oldest Muslim tombs in India. The marble carvings, strict ornaments and sayings from the Koran are still well preserved. A dome of impressive size once rose above the white marble tombstone.

Today, a fence has been built around the Qutub Minar tower, and in order to get into the territory to get acquainted with this tower, you need to purchase a ticket.