Qutub Minar

Towering high over an assortment of Afghan architectural marvels is the iconic Qutub Minar. Built by Qutub-Ud-Din-Aibak in 1199, with three more stories added later by his son-in-law, the Qutub Minar is a monument to give calls for prayer a 72.5-meter high tribute to Islamic architecture. It's a striking red and buff sandstone structure, with intricate carvings and inscribed verses from the Koran.

Other intriguing monuments surround it, like the Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid, a mix of Hindu and Islamic design and materials, with Islamic calligraphy and brocaded designs and pillars with Hindu motifs. These pillars were taken from Qila Rai Pithora, the city of the Rajput king, Prithviraj Chauhan.

The Iron Pillar, which has never rusted through hundreds of years, in the courtyard of the mosque and the unfinished Alai Minar, the ornamental entrance to the complex, Alai Darwaza. The tombs and the madrasa are added attractions around the Qutub Minar and contribute to the area's haunting beauty.