India GOQutub Minar, Delhi: timings, tickets and what to see
The Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli is open from sunrise to 8 pm, according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Entry is ₹50 in cash or ₹35 online for Indian citizens and visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries, ₹600 or ₹550 online for other foreign visitors, and free for children under 15. The 72.5-metre tower itself is seen from the ground: its staircase has been closed to the public since 1981.
Qutub Minar is a 73-metre victory tower of fluted red sandstone and marble, begun around 1199 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak to mark the start of Muslim rule in Delhi and raised higher by his successors. It is the tallest brick minaret in the world and the centrepiece of a UNESCO-listed complex in Mehrauli, in the city's south.
Around its base stand the ruins of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (the earliest in northern India, assembled from the carved columns of demolished temples) and the famous Iron Pillar, a roughly 1,600-year-old shaft that has barely rusted and still puzzles metallurgists.
Delhi's victory tower
Tickets
Qutub Minar timings
The ASI page for the site gives one line: open from sunrise to 8 pm. Delhi Tourism repeats the same hours. Neither lists a weekly closing day, and the visit card above has no hours because the India GO database does not hold them yet.
In the winter months, when the sun sets well before 8 pm, the last hour or so falls after dark, so an evening visit is possible.
About an hour is enough for the tower, the mosque and the Iron Pillar; add time if you want to walk to the tomb of Iltutmish and the unfinished Alai Minar at the back.
Qutub Minar ticket price
Prices from the ASI page, confirmed by Delhi Tourism:
- Indian citizens and visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries: ₹50 in cash, ₹35 online.
- Other foreign visitors: ₹600 in cash, ₹550 online.
- Children under 15: free.
Paying online is cheaper for everyone. The card above shows a range of ₹40–50 for Indian visitors; the ASI and Delhi Tourism pages both give ₹50 for cash, and that is the figure to plan with.
Why you cannot go up the tower
The minar has an internal spiral staircase, and until 1981 visitors climbed it. On 4 December 1981 the staircase lighting failed and the crowd inside rushed for the exit; 45 people died, most of them schoolchildren. The tower has been closed to the public since then. Everything in the complex is seen from the ground.
What to see in the Qutub complex
The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 1993. It is less one monument than the founding layer of Delhi Sultanate building, laid over the ruins of an older citadel.
Qutb Minar
Red and buff sandstone, 14.32 m across at the base and about 2.75 m at the top, 72.5 m high: the ASI calls it the highest tower in India. Qutbu'd-Din Aibak began it in 1199 and built the first storey; Iltutmish added three more (1211–36). Inscriptions record repairs by Firuz Shah Tughlaq and Sikandar Lodi. Look at the balconies, carried on stone brackets carved in a honeycomb pattern.
Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
Built by Aibak in 1198, the earliest surviving mosque of the Delhi Sultans. Its cloisters were raised from the carved columns of 27 Hindu and Jain temples, as his own inscription over the eastern entrance records.
Iron Pillar
A 7.21-metre iron shaft in the mosque courtyard. Its Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script, of the fourth century AD, says it was set up as a standard of Vishnu in memory of a king named Chandra. The metal has resisted rust for some sixteen centuries.
Alai Darwaza
The southern gateway of the mosque, built by Alau'd-Din Khalji in 1311. The ASI describes it as the first building in India to use Islamic principles of construction and ornament: true arches, a dome, red sandstone inlaid with white marble.
Alai Minar and the tomb of Iltutmish
Khalji meant the Alai Minar to be twice the size of the Qutb; only the first storey was built, and it stands 25 m high. The tomb of Iltutmish (1235) is a square red sandstone chamber carved inside with inscriptions and geometric patterns.
How to reach Qutub Minar by metro
The nearest station is Qutab Minar on the Yellow Line, between Saket and Chhatarpur. Both of its gates open onto Anuvart Marg. The monument is not at the station exit: you can walk or take an auto-rickshaw for the last stretch.
Mehrauli Archaeological Park, with its own scatter of tombs and stepwells, lies about 1.2 km from the same station by DMRC's count and pairs well with the Qutb in one trip.
❓ FAQ
Is Qutub Minar open today? What are the opening days?
The ASI lists the complex as open from sunrise to 8 pm and gives no weekly closing day.
Can we go to Qutub Minar at night?
Entry closes at 8 pm. In winter the sun sets well before that, so the last part of the day is after dark. The ASI page does not list a light-and-sound show.
Why is entry into Qutub Minar closed?
The staircase inside the tower was closed after a stampede on 4 December 1981, when the lights failed and 45 people died. Visitors can walk around the complex but cannot climb the minar.
What is the Qutub Minar ticket price?
₹50 in cash or ₹35 online for Indian citizens and SAARC or BIMSTEC visitors; ₹600 in cash or ₹550 online for other foreign visitors. Children under 15 enter free.
What is the time period of Qutub Minar?
Qutbu'd-Din Aibak began it in 1199, and Iltutmish completed three more storeys between 1211 and 1236. It was repaired in the 14th and 16th centuries and again in 1829.
How much time do I need at Qutub Minar?
About an hour covers the tower, the mosque, the Iron Pillar and the Alai Darwaza.