Town or city New Delhi Construction started Khilji dynasty | Country India | |
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Address 2, Chor Minar Rd, Kausalya Park, Block L, Padmini Enclave, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, Delhi 110016 Similar Ashokan Edicts in Delhi, Hijron Ka Khanqah, Sultan Ghari, Chausath Khamba, Moth Ki Mosque | ||
Chor minar or tower of thieves a 13th century minaret in delhi
Chor Minar or 'Tower of Thieves' is a 13th-century minaret with 225 holes, situated just off Aurobindo Marg in the Hauz Khas area, in New Delhi.
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It was built under the rule of Alauddin Khilji, of the Khilji dynasty (1290–1320) in the thirteenth century.
According to local legends, it was a 'tower of beheading', where the severed heads of thieves were displayed on spear through its 225 holes, to act as a deterrent to thieves, though some historian suggest that the Khilji king slaughtered a settlement of Mongol people, nearby, to stop them from joining with their brethren in another Mongol settlement in Delhi, the present day locality of 'Mongolpuri'.
During the raid of Ali Beg, Tartaq and Targhi (1305), 8,000 Mongol prisoners were executed and their heads displayed is the towers around Siri