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Photo: Photo by A.Savin via Wikimedia Commons (FAL)Struck by lightning and rebuilt more than once, it has risen since 1192 to mark the start of Muslim rule in Delhi.
A 73-metre minaret begun in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak to mark the start of Muslim rule in Delhi, making it one of the earliest and tallest brick minarets in the world. The surrounding UNESCO World Heritage complex includes the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and the famously rust-resistant Iron Pillar. Successive rulers added storeys over two centuries, giving the tower its distinct tapering, fluted profile. It remains the tallest brick minaret on earth.
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108 stone steps lead down to what was once a deep water tank, between walls built to pull your eye toward the water.
Feroz Shah Tughlaq had an Ashokan pillar moved here, and it still stands among the ruins of his fortress.
Gandhi lived here for his last 144 days, from 9 September 1947. On 30 January 1948 he was assassinated on these grounds, and a line of footsteps cast in concrete traces his last walk to the prayer meeting.