Qutb Minar: UNESCO World Heritage Site
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priyankaQutb Minar: UNESCO World Heritage Site
Uploaded by
priyankaThe Qutb Minar, also spelled as Qutab Minar or Qutub Minar, is a minaret that forms part of the Qutb
complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, India.[1][2]
Qutb Minar is a 73-metre (239.5 feet) tall tapering tower of five storeys, with a 14.3 metres (47 feet) base
diameter, reducing to 2.7 metres (9 feet) at the top of the peak.[3] It contains a spiral staircase of 379 steps.[4] [5]
The Minar is surrounded by several historically significant monuments of Qutb complex. The nearby
pillared cupola known as "Smith's Folly" is a remnant of the tower's 19th century restoration, which included an
ill-advised attempt to add some more stories.
Kuttull Minor, Delhi. The Qutb Minar, 1805
Qutb Minar in Mehrauli in Delhi. Clifton and Co., around 1890
Qutub Minar
The minar's topmost storey was damaged by lightning in 1369 and was rebuilt by Firuz Shah Tughlaq, who
[6] [7]
added another storey. In 1505, an earthquake damaged Qutub Minar; it was repaired by Sikander Lodi. On 1
September 1803, a major earthquake caused serious damage. Major Robert Smith of the British Indian Army
renovated the tower in 1828 and installed a pillared cupola over the fifth storey, thus creating a sixth. The
cupola was taken down in 1848, under instructions from The Viscount Hardinge, then Governor General of
India. It was reinstalled at ground level to the east of Qutb Minar, where it remains. It is known as
"Smith's Folly".[8]