In Old Delhi you can find some of the most beautiful works of architecture anywhere: the Lodi tombs in the lovely Lodi Gardens, the Tomb of Humayun, the Isa Khan tomb, and many others. The area around the Qutb Minar is also remarkable. This is a detail of the sandstone Islamic calligraphy of the Qutb Minar (minaret). It’s one of Delhi’s real wonders. Alas, the beauty of the Islamic art and architecture came at the expense of the destruction of the earlier Hindu monuments at the same spot. The Qutb minaret stands as a tower of victory for Islam. When Islam began its incursions into India in the middle ages the monotheistic and aniconic (forbidding images) Muslims were horrified by the polytheistic and image-loving Hindus. Everywhere Hindu temples were destroyed and re-purposed to the needs of the new religion.