Tourists standing near the Iron Pillar next to the Qutub Minar in New Delhi, India with a security guard leaning against tomb.
Tourists standing next to the Iron Pillar, part of the Qutub Minar complex in the Mehrauli area of New Delhi, India. The Qutb Minar is a historical monument (a central minaret surrounded by other structures, including a very famous Iron Pillar) located in the southern half of the city of Delhi. It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage monument, with the construction of the minaret having been started in the year 1192, started by the Delhi Sultan Qutub-ud-din and completed some years later by the Sultan Iltutmish. The minaret is meters tall, and has a total of 379 stairs. The minaret is much wider at the bottom and thinner at the top, with the base having a diameter of meters and a diameter at the top of meters at the top. The structure of the minaret is made of red sandstone, and the entire structure has intricate carvings with verses from the Muslim holy book, the Quran. Over the centuries, the minaret has suffered damage, with earthquake and lightning damaging the upper storeys of the building, and repairs have been carried out over the centuries, although some of the repairs and restorations were not exactly the same as the original. The Iron Pillar is a very inhabitant of the Qutb complex. The height of the pillar is a total of meters (23feet 8 inches), with meters below ground. It had a legend around it, the belief that if you stood with your back to it and were able to lock your arms around it, it brought you good luck. However, for the need of preservation and conservation, a fence was built around it in 1997 so that visitors can no longer touch it. The actual origin of the iron pillar (made of 98% wrought iron) is not clear, but there is some theory that says the pillar was actually made in the 4th century AD, at the time of the Gupta dynasty, in central India.
Size: 5100px × 3400px
Location: Qutub complex, Mehrauli, New Delhi, India
Photo credit: © Ashish Agarwal / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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