Alai Darwaza was built on the instructions of one of the prominent sultans of Delhi Sultanate, Alauddin Khalji. He was the best statesman, warrior and administrator of his times. Achievements and widespread extension of the Delhi Sultanate are well known to everyone. To commemorate the victory of his armies in the South he decided to make a minar double the size of Qutub Minar. Construction of Alai Darwaza is related to it. To accommodate this minar in the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque he ordered the extension of the mosque. Alai Darwaza is the main gateway to this ambitious extension of the mosque’s premises. 

The early fourteenth-century monument is a square structure, having four gateways. A bulging dome with a central knob covered the pathways. The gateways have arches, which look like horse-shoes in shape. For the first time, such arches were introduced in any Indian monument. The influence of West-Asian traditions is very much visible in the decoration of arches. It was built with red sandstone and marble shows the most widespread feature of Indo-Islamic architecture. Gateways are decorated with a geometrical pattern. They also have inscriptions in Naskh characters.

Join our Qutub Minar walk this Saturday. More details- https://rzp.io/l/ZUVep1rh