Qutb Minar Complex

Timeline

1. c. 1199Delhi · DelhiQutb ud-Din Aibak converted the site of a Rajput temple into the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and began the first storey of the Qutb Minar, using stone from demolished Indian temples and brick-laying techniques to establish the complex's layout.
2. c. 1211–1220Delhi · DelhiAfter accession, Iltutmish continued raising the minaret, adding upper storeys and reinforcing the structure while expanding the mosque courtyard and cloisters, making the complex a symbolic landmark of sultanate power and Islamic faith.
3. c. 1299–1316Delhi · DelhiDuring Ala ud-Din Khalji's reign, plans were made for a much larger minaret and additions such as the Alai Darwaza; although the giant minaret was never completed, the architectural scale and decorative vocabulary of the site were further expanded.