Alai Minar
Alai Minar
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The area
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Neighbourhood: Mehrauli/Qutub Minar
Home to the most beautiful step wells in the country, Jamali Kamali Mosque and a 200 acre park with facets of heritage peeping at you from every nook and cranny, Mehrauli is one of those treasure houses where the stories of the past can go on for years. Visitors need a whole day at the Mehrauli Archaeological Park to truly enjoy the opulent 1000-year old legacy of this neighbourhood. A great spot for picnics, this giant heritage park with Qutub Minar in the backdrop, has become a popular cricket playground among the local youngsters. Mehrauli has a number of artistic gems that have been converted into stunning art galleries & rooftop restaurants popular for a grand view of the Qutub Minar and large part of South Delhi.
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1,195 within 3 miles
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197 within 6 miles
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4.0
116 reviews
Excellent
20
Very good
55
Average
38
Poor
3
Terrible
0
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK185,662 contributions
Dec 2019
The Alai Minar is an unfinished tower that was intended to be double in size of the existing Qutub Minar, but was not completed when the Khalji king died. Not sure what to make of this. Clearly the core structure was built using rubble masonry and intended to be finished later and in that way it’s interesting, in a brutal sort of way.
Written 28 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AshTheWiz
Dapoli, India288 contributions
Nov 2014 • Family
The construction of this monument was planned by Sultan of Delhi Alauddin Khilji (of the Khilji Dynasty) inside the Qutab Minar Complex near Mehrauli in South Delhi to commemorate the success of his Deccan conquest campaign. He had planned it to be twice the size of the Qutab Minar. Unfortunately, his demise in 1316 AD put an end to it after only the first story had been completed. Today, you can only see the ruins of the incomplete structure. You can see it when you visit the Qutab Minar.
The best way to go there is to take the Metro up to Qutab Minar on the Yellow Line. For the tourists, another good way is to take the Delhi HOHO (Hop On - Hop Off) bus tour which covers most of the monuments. Otherwise you can go by road as well. There is a parking lot next to the monument where you can safely park your vehicle. The Entry Fees is included with that for the Qutab Minar.
The best way to go there is to take the Metro up to Qutab Minar on the Yellow Line. For the tourists, another good way is to take the Delhi HOHO (Hop On - Hop Off) bus tour which covers most of the monuments. Otherwise you can go by road as well. There is a parking lot next to the monument where you can safely park your vehicle. The Entry Fees is included with that for the Qutab Minar.
Written 6 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Capt_Bhavika
Mumbai, India532 contributions
Jan 2014 • Solo
inside the qutub complex, an Alai Minar planned to constructed double the height of qutub minar but was never completed after a single story built-up... nice to see it... raw unfinished outer walls
Written 29 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheShis
Tel Aviv, Israel42,752 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
Only one story of this tower-to-be was ever built, and it lies in semi-ruins today.
Personally, I think another tower like Qutb minar would've dwarfed the entire complex.
Personally, I think another tower like Qutb minar would've dwarfed the entire complex.
Written 21 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda Y
Frisco, TX5,691 contributions
Feb 2019 • Solo
The Alai Minar is in the Qutub Minar complex and is included in the entrance fee. After doubling the size of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Sultan Alauddin Khalji set his ambitions on building a new minaret that would be twice as high as the Qutub Minar. Only a one-story rough-stone core standing 80 ft (24.5 m) was completed before Alauddin died in 1316. The effort was then abandoned by his successors. You’ll have to imagine how it might look had it been completed!
Written 5 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PushExplore
Singapore, Singapore4,953 contributions
Mar 2018 • Family
The Alai Minar is in the same compound as the Qutab Minar. Seeing this brought back old memories of visiting this place as a school student. Its well maintained and the surrounding area is quite clean as well.
Written 24 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ema Datshi
Northampton, UK1,253 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
I'm not sure why this gets a separate listing in Trip Advisor as there is no way to see this if you don't go to visit the Qutab Minar complex. This is the unfinished minar, the one that would have been absolutely phenomenal in size if it had ever been finished. It's one of the reasons to consider getting a guide or a good guidebook if you go to the Qutab Minar as you could easily pass by without realising what this is and what it might one day have been.
Written 20 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brad
Hong Kong, China174,793 contributions
Jan 2013 • Couples
When visiting the UNESCO World Heritage attraction known as the Qtab Miner in the south of Delhi, you can also catch site of a second minaret that was abandoned during early stages of construction.
It would seem that an overly ambition Sultan Ala-ud-Din Khalji dreamt of having a second structure that would double the height of the Qtab Minar. Unfortunately, this dream was never meant to be as the construction was abandoned during early stages, after the death of the Sultan. What was left was a 24.5 meter tall tower base, which now rests in ruins not far from the famous Qtab Minar.
Overall, we found the story of the Alai Minar quite interesting and enjoyed walking around and seeing this unfinished minaret as it provides opportunity to imagine what the Qtab Minar might have resembled during its construction phases. It is worth seeking out for a few minutes if you visit the Qtab Complex
It would seem that an overly ambition Sultan Ala-ud-Din Khalji dreamt of having a second structure that would double the height of the Qtab Minar. Unfortunately, this dream was never meant to be as the construction was abandoned during early stages, after the death of the Sultan. What was left was a 24.5 meter tall tower base, which now rests in ruins not far from the famous Qtab Minar.
Overall, we found the story of the Alai Minar quite interesting and enjoyed walking around and seeing this unfinished minaret as it provides opportunity to imagine what the Qtab Minar might have resembled during its construction phases. It is worth seeking out for a few minutes if you visit the Qtab Complex
Written 18 August 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoyBose
Bengaluru, India377 contributions
Jan 2021 • Solo
It's an unfinished minar but a much wider scale and circumference than qutub minar. Only one floor was completed. One can only guess by looking at it, how big it would have been. It's a massive stone structure.
Written 24 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harpreet_Chd
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India733 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
If Qutub Minar is a symbol of man’s achievements and victories, the adjacently located Alai Minar could very well be an ode to one’s unfulfilled ambition. A dream, if not quite shattered, ruthlessly interrupted and forever extinguished. Alauddin Khilji would have been quite jealous of Qutub Minar for he dreamt of building an even more majestic structure that would be twice the size of Qutub. And with that in mind, he commenced shaping his dream on land, even managing to finish the first storey, before his sudden death.
The popular perception must have been against this idea, however, for no one touched this monument, and it lies unfinished and unglamorous.
Once you have had your fill of the Qutub, standing tall, proud and elegant, and once you have crossed over to the side of Alai Minar, is when you begin to notice the stark differences between the monuments, but you will still admire how firmly the monument has held itself for so long, and you somehow feel the passage of time has not been able to erode its structural shape- like an arrogant, stubborn child it still stands its ground even in the face of a parental rebuke, a picture of defiance. And it’s then you realise that the builders of yesteryears probably had more self respect and skill to outmatch those of today, who cannot even build a simple road without having to redo the same every 6 months.
The Alai Minar is surrounded by a garden on all sides and one can relax in leisure while admiring the abundance architectural excellence around the place.
The popular perception must have been against this idea, however, for no one touched this monument, and it lies unfinished and unglamorous.
Once you have had your fill of the Qutub, standing tall, proud and elegant, and once you have crossed over to the side of Alai Minar, is when you begin to notice the stark differences between the monuments, but you will still admire how firmly the monument has held itself for so long, and you somehow feel the passage of time has not been able to erode its structural shape- like an arrogant, stubborn child it still stands its ground even in the face of a parental rebuke, a picture of defiance. And it’s then you realise that the builders of yesteryears probably had more self respect and skill to outmatch those of today, who cannot even build a simple road without having to redo the same every 6 months.
The Alai Minar is surrounded by a garden on all sides and one can relax in leisure while admiring the abundance architectural excellence around the place.
Written 6 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Alai Minar is an incomplete monument that lies within the Qutb complex in South Delhi. Sultan Ala-ud-Din Khalji was an over ambitious Sultan of the Khilji dynasty and won many wars and battles. After a win from one of his Deccan campaigns, the Sultan dreamt of constructing a huge Tower or Minar to commemorate his victory. He wanted a structure that would double the height of Qutub Minar in order to be remembered as the only Sultan who dared to create such a monumental masterpiece that was grander and more spectacular than the Qutub Minar of Qutb-ud-din Aibak of the Slave dynasty that ruled before him. Qutub Minar as a whole is well worth the visit!
Written 21 January 2019
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