Choir Minar (Delhi)

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Choir minar

The Chor Minar is a round tower with an unknown function in the south of the Indian capital Delhi .

location

The Chor Minar is located in the Hauz-Khas-Area near the Aurobindo Marg in the south of Delhi about 5 km (as the crow flies) south of the Safdarjung mausoleum . Nearby historical buildings are the Qutb complex with the Qutb Minar , the Begumpur Mosque and the Khirki Mosque .

history

Despite the lack of written sources, Ala ud-Din Khalji (ruled 1297–1316), the second sultan of the Khalji dynasty of the Sultanate of Delhi, is generally considered to have commissioned the building . It is uncertain whether the tower was ever completed.

architecture

The round tower, which rises on a square platform, is built entirely from uncut natural stone ; whether its outer walls were ever clad is unknown. The ogival entrance is framed by an alfiz ; Inside the tower, a spiral staircase runs upwards. In the upper part of the tower shaft there are more than 200 holes, the function of which can only be speculated - according to popular tradition, rods were attached to them, on which the heads of thieves or defeated enemies were impaled and publicly displayed.

Web links

Commons : Chor Minar  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 28 ° 32 ′ 57 ″  N , 77 ° 12 ′ 25 ″  E