The
tallest building of its times, Qutbuddin Aibak laid the foundation of
Qutab Minar as a victory tower in 1199. Originally, it rose to a height
of 72.5 m. It is undoubtedly one of the finest stone towers in India and
one of the most important landmarks of Delhi. Iltutmish, the son-in-law
and successor of Qutubuddin, finally, completed its construction.
Nearby, one can also see the ruins tomb of Iltutmish, which he built in
1235 in his lifetime and decorated the interiors profusely using
calligraphy. The tower tapers from a base of 14.32 m to 2.75 m at its
top and took 20 years to complete.Built in red sandstone, this tower sports the inscriptions of verses of Holy Quran and some intricate carvings. We can also see the ruins of the embattlements of the city called Siri here, which was established in 1303 by Ala-ud-Din who dug a vast reservoir in Hauz Khas, to supply water to his city. Though, nothing much remains to be seen of the city, it has been described by the contemporary historians as the 'envy of Baghdad, the rival of Cairo and equal to Constantinople'. Besides these, one can also see the tomb of Adham Khan and Zafar Mahal in Mehrauli within Qutub complex and the tomb of Jamali-Kamali behind it.
