Qutub Minar

The Qutb Minar (also spelled Qutab or Qutub, Urdu: قطب منار), a tower in Delhi, India, is at 72.5 meters (237.8 ft) the world's tallest brick minaret.
Construction commenced in 1193 under the orders of India's first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak,
and the topmost storey of the minaret was completed in 1386 by Firoz Shah Tughluq.
The Qutb Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture

Structure

The Qutb Minar is tall, with 379 steps leading to the top. The diameter of the base is 14.3 meters, while the top floor measures 2.75 meters in diameter.
Surrounding the building are many fine examples of Indian artwork from the time it was built in 1193. A second tower was in construction and planned to be taller than the Qutb Minar itself.
Its construction ended abruptly when it was about 12 meters tall.The name of this tower is given as Alai Minar and construction of recent studies shows that this structure has been tilted in one direction.
It is made of red sandstone all the way except for two stories at the top. This part is of white marble and was made by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. He had decided to put a prominent finish to the magnificent minar.

Stones dislodged from the so-called Kutub Minar have Hindu images on one side with Arabic lettering on the other.
Those stones have now been removed to the Museum. They clearly show that Muslim invaders used to remove the stone- dressing of Hindu buildings,
turn the stones inside out to hide the image facial and inscribe Arabic lettering on the new frontage

Bits of Sanskrit inscriptions can still be deciphered in the premises on numerous pillars and walls. Numerous images still adorn the cornices though disfigured.

The tower is but a part of the surrounding structures. It is not that while the temples around are earlier Hindu build- ings there was sufficient space left in between for Kutubud- din to come and build a tower.
Its very ornate style...