*Set apart from the descriptive guides that exist on the subject, this book analyzes the meaning of the Qutb Complex's monuments and their afterlife from the fourteenth through the twenty-first centuries The Qutb complex is one of Delhi's major tourist attractions and the Qutb Minar is often used as an iconic emblem representing the city. Yet aside from scholarly essays and largely descriptive books on the site, there has been little attempt to write an accessible analysis of the site's monuments, patrons, inscriptions and history. This book will examine not only the site as it was developed in the early Sultanate period, but also probe its life prior to the establishment of Muslim rule in the late-twelfth century and then again after the period of Sultanate patronage of the site up to the present. The aim of this volume is to prove that over time the complex remained considerably more significant in meaning than is generally believed. The surrounding urban area, including dargahs, temples, mosques, tombs and water sources, will be studied in terms of their relation to the core mosque and minaret. A comprehensive analysis of the interwoven histories of the Qutb Complex and its architecture, this book is both visually sumptuous and informative.

Description and travel of Kutb Minar, adjoining monuments, and the architecture of Mughals; a study.

Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar traces the history of the pillar located in the Qutub Complex and describes its structure in detail. It unravels the mystery behind the resistance of the pillar to corrosion for more than sixteen centuries. It also discusses the amazing process by which the pillar was manufactured using the technical know-how available at the time. the book is primarily aimed at general readers and tourists, with a view to igniting their interest in this metallurgical wonder of ancient India. Written in simple language and a lucid style, it carries numerous photographs and elaborate figures to enhance the discussion.

The book introduces you to every tree you are likely to see in the city or in semi-wilderness areas like the Ridge. You do not have to be a botanist to enjoy this book: everything is explained in simple language. This field guide will help you recognize many of the trees you will see around you. Extensive colour pictures and clear illustrations on how to use the annotated Leaf Keys make identification of individual trees easy.

Building Histories offers innovative accounts of five medieval monuments in Delhi—the Red Fort, Rasul Numa Dargah, Jama Masjid, Purana Qila, and the Qutb complex—tracing their modern lives from the nineteenth century into the twentieth. Mrinalini Rajagopalan argues that the modern construction of the history of these monuments entailed the careful selection, manipulation, and regulation of the past by both the colonial and later postcolonial states. Although framed as objective “archival” truths, these histories were meant to erase or marginalize the powerful and persistent affective appropriations of the monuments by groups who often existed outside the center of power. By analyzing these archival and affective histories together, Rajagopalan works to redefine the historic monument—far from a symbol of a specific past, the monument is shown in Building Histories to be a culturally mutable object with multiple stories to tell.

This volume joins together in English for the first time the two editions of Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan's classic account of the monuments and environs of precolonial Delhi. Translator Rana Safvi's annotations and appendices trace the historical development of the text between 1847 and 1854, before the cataclysmic events of 1857 changed Delhi forever. The volume includes sketches from the original Urdu edition. It is a valuable resource for urban historians and scholars of Delhi's monumental history.