The Qutab Minar (spelt also as Qutb or Qutub) (Urdu: قطب مینار) is
located in Delhi, India. It is a
soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak
immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom. The tower has five
distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m
diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top. The first three storeys are made
of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone. At
the foot of the tower is a mosque in ruins. An inscription over its eastern gate
provocatively informs that it was built with material obtained from demolishing
'27 Hindu temples'.
The tower is one of the
finest monuments in India. Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi,
commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar but could only finish the
basement. His successor, Iltutmush, added three more storeys, and in 1368,
Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last storey.
The development of
architectural styles from Aibak to Tughlak is quite evident in the minar. The
relief work and even the materials used for construction differ. The tower is
ornamented by bands of inscriptions and by four projecting balconies supported
by elaborately decorated brackets.
This lovely
postcard was sent by Arnab Chatterjee of Delhi, India in our Stampboards Feb
2014 Postcard Exchange. He also bothered to affix this matching stamp of the Qutab Minar with the Tokyo Tower. This stamp was issued to commemorate the visit of the Emperor & Empress of Japan in 2013.
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