Delhi: Qutb Minar

The buildings in this complex date from the onset of Muslim rule in India and are "fine examples of early-Afghan architecture" The Qutb Minar itself is a tower that was begun in 1193 immediately following the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom in Delhi. It stands nearly 73 meters high and tapers from a 15 meter diameter at the bottom to 2.5 meters at the top. The tower has five distinct levels marked by a projecting balcony. The first three levels are made of sandstone and the top two are a combination of marble and sandstone.

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Though construction was begun by Qutb-ud-din, his successors completed the construction. In 1368, Firaz Shah rebuilt the top.

Journal Continued:
The final stop on the tour, after a quick lunch at a very pleasant Indian eatery was the Qutb Minar. The Qutb Minar was a very special place. It was built by the first Muslim conquerers in 1200 or something. The shah who ordered it to be built had the workers deconstruct numerous hindu temples and used the ornately carved pieces to build the columns and the walls of the new fort and the tower.

Journal Continued:
The end result is that you have ornate columns of carved stone pieces that are almost schizophrenic in the way that they vary from stone to stone. You may also have several smooth stones and suddenly a carved piece that was clearly part of something else and told a story that it no longer tells. In addition, the builders added the typical islamic features, like the arabic text from the Koran along the edges of the arches, flowers and geometric shapes. The place is a very magical place and could absorb detail people for hours looking and studying the differents stones of a single column.

Right: Isn't it lovely!

Left: Cute little girl with whom I posed for several photos. She was the youngest of several and her family was from another state in India. Her sister was a Doctor.

Below: Some stray Indian Dogs. They are also soooo cute, though not the cleanest pups I have ever seen. They all have curly tails, hence the Indian expression. "You can't straighten a dog's tail" which means that ... you can't teach an old dog new tricks I think.

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