Qutub Minar, Delhi

The Qutb Minar is a 72.5-metre tower begun in 1199 at the heart of a UNESCO-listed complex in Mehrauli. Here are its opening hours, ASI entry fees and what else to see, from the Iron Pillar to the Alai Darwaza.

The Qutb Minar is the centrepiece of the Qutb complex in Mehrauli, south Delhi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. According to Delhi Tourism, Qutbu'd-Din Aibak laid the foundation of the minar in AD 1199, and his successor Iltutmish added three more storeys. The tower is 72.5 m high and tapers from 14.32 m at the base to about 2.75 m at the top. Its storeys of red and buff sandstone are separated by projecting balconies on carved brackets.

Inscriptions record repairs by Firuz Shah Tughlaq and Sikandar Lodi, and a restoration by Major R. Smith in 1829. Around the tower are some of the oldest Islamic buildings in India. The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, begun in 1198, reused columns from 27 Hindu and Jain temples. The Iron Pillar in its courtyard carries a Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script of the fourth century AD and is known for how little it has rusted.

The Alai Darwaza of 1311 is the complex's southern gateway, a landmark of early Indo-Islamic decoration. The stump of Ala'i Minar is Alau'd-Din Khalji's unfinished attempt at a tower twice as large, and the complex also holds Iltutmish's tomb and a madrasa. Visitors cannot climb the minar. The complex is walkable in one to two hours and has shaded lawns. Qutab Minar metro station on the Yellow Line is the nearest stop.

The monument is lit up after dark, and ASI keeps it open until 8 pm.