In Delhi one of the most frequently visited tourist spot Qutub Minar was built in 1199 by Qutub-ud-Din. The sultan's successor and son-in-law, Iltutmish, completed it. The purpose of building this beautiful monument is not very clear as some believe that it was built as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India , while other says it served as a minaret to the adjoining mosque and was used by the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer. It is 72.5 meters high and one has to climb 379 steps to get to the top. The diameter of the base is 14.3 meters while the top floor measures 2.7 meters in diameter.

It has some special features- at its root the radius is being 14.40 m which gradually reduced at its top to 2.44 m. In Kupee language it has been inscribed on Kutub that- The Tower was erected to cast the shadow of God over both East and West. Aayaat from Quran is also inscribed. At the foot of the Minar a Mosque was built in 1197.

The 5 storeyed Qutub Minar is a remarkable instance of sculpture in India . The 1st floor made of sand stone by Kutub, the 2nd & 3rd floors made of sand stone by Iltutmis and the 4th and 5th in both sand stone and marble by Feroz Shah Tughlok in 1368.

However, the earthquake of 1803 destroyed it , in 1829 British Major Robert Smith re-built the tomb. Later the tomb was brought down from the Minar and reset it in the garden beside. In 1981, some students died of stampade while on their way up the steps of flights. Since then, ascending 5th floor is forbidden and not more than a group of 4 at a time is permitted to ascent only upto 1st floor of Kutub. Recently, Kutub is enshrined with huge lighting.