Qutb complex

Qutb complex
UNESCO world heritage
	Qutub Minar , Alai Darwaza and the Little Imam Zamin Mausoleum
National territory:	India
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(iv)
Reference No .:	233
UNESCO region :	Asia and Pacific
	History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1993 (session 17)

The Qutb complex (sometimes also written Qutub or Qutab ) is an area in Mehrauli in the south of the Indian capital Delhi , on which the ruins of the first mosque of Delhi - built after the Muslim conquest of the city - stand (around 1200). The entire complex was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993 .

history

The history of the site goes back to pre-Islamic times: Originally the site was founded around 1060 by the Rajput ruler Anang Pal as Lal Kot and is considered one of the oldest testimonies in the history of the city of Delhi. But after the conquest of Delhi by the Ghurid General Qutb-ud-Din Aibak (r. 1192 / 3-1310), he had all - we're talking about 27 - Hindu and Jain temples in Delhi and the surrounding area; The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was built from the pillars ( spolia ), which had been largely cleared of human and animal figures . The Qutb Minar , which was also started by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak around 1202, on the other hand, shows a clearly Islamic design language and is based on previous buildings in today's Afghanistan . The mosque was expanded under his son-in-law and successor Iltutmish (ruled 1211-1236), who was also buried in the complex and received a mausoleum with a cenotaph . A further expansion of the mosque took place under the Sultan Ala ud-Din Khalji (r. 1297-1316), who is buried in a tomb opposite the Koran school ( madrasa ) founded by him .

The last building erected within the Qutb complex is the small Imam Zamin mausoleum , which was built around 1540 only a few meters east of the Alai Darwaza gate.