Qutubuddin-Aibak Crowned - [July 24, 1206] This Day in History

24 July 1206

Qutub-ud-din-Aibak was crowned

What happened?

Qutb Minar, Delhi

The first Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Qutub-ud-din-Aibak was crowned at Lahore. Read more on Aibak for IAS exam medieval history segment.

Qutub-ud-din-Aibak

• Qutub-ud-din-Aibak was born in Central Asia to Turkic parents. He was sold to a local Qazi as a slave and raised in Persia.
• He eventually became a slave of Muhammad of Ghor (also called Muhammad Ghori). Aibak was able to prove himself in the service of Ghori and was appointed to a military position.
• Ghori conquered Delhi in 1193 and returned to Khorasan leaving his Indian conquests to the care of Aibak.
• He annexed the region between the rivers Ganga and Yamuna. His lieutenant Bakhtiyar Khilji conquered Bihar and Bengal. Aibak fought against the Rajput rulers who were resisting the Muslim invasions.
• After Ghori’s assassination in 1206, Aibak became the de facto ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. He was crowned in Lahore, Pakistan whereto he moved his capital.
• Aibak was the first Muslim Sultanate ruler in northern India. The dynasty he established is known as the Slave Dynasty or the Mamluk Dynasty.
• He built mosques in Delhi and other areas. He was known as a generous king in times of peace and was honoured with the title Lakhbaksh.
• He is most remembered for laying the foundation of the Qutb Minar in Delhi. It was named after a Sufi saint Khwaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki. Qutb Minar was completed by Aibak’s successor and son-in-law Iltutmish. It is a 240 ft tall tower. The construction was started in about 1192. The ground storey of the Minar was constructed over the ruins of the Lal Kot which was built by the Tomars.
• He died in a polo accident in 1210 aged about 60. He was succeeded by his son-in-law Shams ud-Din Iltutmish.
• His tomb is in Lahore.

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