Archway of 12th-century Qutub mosque restored

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has completed conservation work on the archway of the 12th century Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutub Minar complex, officials aware of the matter said.

- Sadia Akhtar

Built of red sandstone, buff stone, and grey stone, the archway had eroded significantly since conservation work was last carried out in 1964. The stones were damaged in some parts, and had fallen in others, the officials said.

“New stones have been installed and the ceiling has been fixed. We ensured we used the original colours to maintain the continuity of the pattern,” said Praveen Singh superintending archaeologist, ASI (Delhi circle).

Conservation architect Misbah Noorie, ASI’s in-charge of the Qutub Minar complex, said work on the archway started this March and took around six months to complete.