QUTUB MINAR , NEW DELHI , INDIA .

Dominating the ruins of the earliest existing settlement of Delhi is the city's famous landmark- the Qutab Minar. The imposing victory tower 73 metre high was built by Qutbuddin Aibak (1192-98) the founder of the Slave Dynasty. The tapering, fluted structure has five storeys, each marked by intricately carved projections or balconies.

Elaborately carved pillars-which come from Hindu temples of the earlier setdement of Qila Rai Pithora embellish the courtyard of a nearby mosque. At the centre of the courtyard is the amazing Iron Pillar-the dhvaja stambha (flag pole) of a Vishnu Temple (4th-5th century AD). Cast in a process that is lost to the present world, the 7.2 metre pillar has not rusted through the centuries. Other interesting structures in die vicinity include die base of another unfinished tower - the Alai Minar