Qutb Minar

So I don't have school on Fridays. Which is lovely. Actually. I take it back. I have "school" six Fridays this semester. We have field trips for our Cities of Delhi class on Friday mornings. This Friday was our first one to Qutub (Qutb) Minar. In class, we have been learning about the movement of the location of power over time in Delhi. One of the first significant powers in Delhi were the Tomars. Their city was defined by walls, as were many in medieval Delhi. So basically, after the Tomars were no longer in power Sultan Qutubuddin Aibuk decided to build a mosque/minar inside the walls of the old Tomar city. Qutubuddin Aibuk was the first Muslim ruler in the area. Apparently he wanted to make his mark.

So he took apart some Hindu and Sikh temples, and reconstructed them to make his mosque/minar. The architecture was incredible. As seen below.

It is unclear which parts were constructed by Qutubuddin Aibak, and which were recycled. There are a few spots which have human figures, uncommon for a mosque, therefore very likely originally from a Hindu temple.
Being there, it was interesting to think about the hostility between religions from that long ago is still carried on today. Not strictly between Muslims and Hindus, but faiths worldwide. The site was incredibly beautiful, but built out of religious devotion and as a representation of the power of the new rulers, two very conflicting ideas in my mind. The product, however, is a sight to behold.



I think one of the most incredible things about Delhi is how it is built around so many historical monuments, religious sites, and burial places. Almost every where we go in the city there are incredibly built and beautiful historical sites. The city is just build up around them. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. Sometimes, probably most time, they go by unnoticed.