RAS question
Qutbuddin Aibak is credited with the construction of which of the following?
Correct answer: (D) Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and Qutub Minar (started).
Qutbuddin Aibak is credited with building the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and starting the Qutub Minar, whose later storeys were added by Iltutmish.
Explanation
Qutbuddin Aibak is linked with both monuments in the Qutb complex, but in slightly different ways. The Archaeological Survey of India says he laid the foundation of the Qutb Minar in AD 1199 and raised its first storey; his successor and son-in-law, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, added three more storeys later. The same ASI account states that the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, north-east of the minar, was built by Aibak in AD 1198 and is the earliest extant mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. Aibak began the Qutub Minar and built the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, while completion of the minar belongs to Iltutmish.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Siri Fort is not credited to Qutbuddin Aibak; it is identified with Alauddin Khalji.
- (B) Tughlaqabad Fort belongs to the Tughlaq phase and is credited to Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq rather than Aibak.
- (C) Alai Darwaza was constructed by Alauddin Khalji, and the ASI page separately records it as the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque.
Concept
This tests early Delhi Sultanate architecture, especially matching rulers with major monuments. RAS repeats this area because monuments such as the Qutb complex are fixed, source-backed markers for chronology and patronage.