Delhi’s Qutub Minar Showing The Basement Storey, 1880 Photo
This rare 1880 photograph shows the massive basement storey of the Qutub Minar in Delhi. India’s most iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stands 240 feet (73 meters), and is the tallest brick minaret in the world. The tower rises in five distinct storeys, with a base diameter of 47 feet that tapers to just 9 feet at the top, connected by 379 winding steps. The base itself is a polygon of 24 sides, altogether measuring 147 feet in circumference.
The Qutub Minar’s architectural detailing is remarkable. The basement exterior is fluted alternately in 27 angular and semi-circular faces. The second storey features only semi-circular flutings, while the third is angular. The fourth storey is entirely circular and plain, and the fifth story once again shows semi-circular flutings. This layered design showcases the evolving Indo-Islamic architectural style of the Delhi Sultanate.
Located in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, the Qutub Minar complex also houses the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, both commissioned in 1193 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, founder of the Delhi Sultanate. Historians note that while Aibak began the construction, his successor Iltutmish completed the magnificent tower. The minaret is richly decorated with intricate Arabic calligraphy and geometric carvings that spiral up to the top.
This 1880 photograph not only documents the monument’s striking architectural base but also intriguingly shows two European children with their guardian, offering a rare glimpse of colonial-era Delhi at one of India’s most historic landmarks.
Did you know – the Qutub Minar is a victory tower that is part of the Qutub complex, which is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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