Qutubminar-design-and-architecture

Qutub minar is made of red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Qur'an.

Qutubminar minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels.

The first 3 storeys are made of red sandstone; the 4th and 5th storeys are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India.

The top one storeys were reconstructed in marble by Sikandar Lodhi

The nearby 7 metres high Iron Pillar is a metallurgical curiosity, standing in the Qutb complex. The pillar has Brahmic inscriptions on it that predate the Islamic minar

The minar tilts just over 60 cm from the vertical, which is considered to be within safe limits, although experts have stated that monitoring is needed in case rainwater seepage further weakens the foundation.