My Science School

In huge shopping malls, train stations, airports and commercial complexes, you would have come across a moving staircase with an endless belt of steps that rolls smoothly. This is called an escalator. It helps people move effortlessbly between floors in multi-level spaces.

The first idea of "revolving stairs" was patented by Nathan Ames in 1859 in USA, but it never saw the light of day. In the 1890s, American engineer Jesse W. Reno installed an "inclined elevator' at Coney Island, an amusement park in New York City. The seven-feet long conveyor belt was inclined at a 25 degree angle. It was the first example of a working escalator.

The term 'escalator was coined by Charles Seeberger, an American inventor, from the Latin word scala for steps. The word 'elevator had already been invented. He joined hands with the pioneering elevator company. Otis, and produced the first commercial wooden escalator which won the first prize at the Paris 1900 Exposition Universelle in France. Soon, escalators were installed in Europe and USA. As the Otis Elevator Company held the trademark rights to the word 'escalator until 1950, other manufacturers called them by different names like Moving Stairs and Motorstair.

Today, many companies manufacture escalators across the world.

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The Qutb complex in Delhi contains buildings and monuments from the Delhi Sultanate era. Amongst these is the Qutub Minar, built as a victory tower by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who was once the Sultan of Delhi. The tower commemorates the victory of the Delhi Sultanate over the Hindu kings. Several monuments were added to the complex later by his successors and future rulers. Today, the complex is a popular tourist spot in the capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1. Tallest brick minaret

Standing at 72.5 metres, the Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world. It has a base diameter of 14.3 metres which reduces to 2.7 metres at the peak. The Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan is the next tallest brick monument at 62 metres. Interestingly, the Qutub Minar is said to have been inspired by the Minaret of Jam.

2. No more climbing to the top

There are 379 steps that lead to the top of the Qutub Minar. It was once allowed for the public to climb the stairs and catch a glimpse of the city from the top. However, on December 4. 1981, a power failure caused a blackout at the staircase, leading to a stampede. Nearly 300 to 400 people were inside when the blackout happened and in the rush to the exit. 47 people, mostly school children, were killed. Ever since, no one has been allowed to climb the monument.

3. The oldest mosque

The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, which is part of the Qutb complex was commissioned by Qutb-ud-din-Aibak. It was the first mosque to be built in Delhi after the Islamic conquest of India. The mosque is one of the oldest mosques in the country and the oldest surviving example of Ghurid architecture in the Indian subcontinent.

4. Khilji's incomplete dream

Emperor Alauddin Khilji of the Khilji dynasty enlarged the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque during his reign. Post this, he wished to build a minaret of his own called the Alai Minar. This was to be double the size of the Qutub Minar. The construction of this minar was however abandoned after his death in 1316, and the 24.5 metre high first storey core of the minar still stands among the ruins of the Qutb complex.

5. The iron pillar

The Iron Pillar of Delhi is part of the Quth complex. It was constructed by emperor Chandragupta II and was erected elsewhere before being moved to its present location. The pillar is famous for the rust-resistant composition of metals used in its construction. Till date, the pillar has not corroded.

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The great Babylonian poem was composed nearly 4 millennia ago in ancient Mesopotamia.

What makes it special?

Written in the Akkadian and Summerian languages used by the people of lower Mesopotamian, “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is a series of poems and tales dating back to 2100 B.C., but the most complete version was written around the 12th century B.C. by the Babylonians. No one knows who is the original writer of the story of Gilgamesh or if it was written by a group of authors.

The mythical poem is centred around the tale of King Gilgamesh, whose mother is the clever goddess Ninsun, a cow. Gilgamesh is a tyrant who rules the city of Uruk. The villagers complain to the gods and they create a man called in Enikdu to restrain him. But Gilgamesh and Enikdu end up becoming friends. The two ravage a forest, cut down Cedar trees and kill the forest guardian. Eventually, Enikdu dies. After his friend’s death, the Gilgamesh humbled and relies is the consequences of his barbaric actions.

The Sumerian civilisation first developed writing around 5000 years ago. Scribes wrote on clay tablets in a script known as cuneiform. People even worshipped a god of writing called Nabu. His symbols were the stylus and clay tablet.

How it was discovered

In 1845, Austen Henry Layard from the UK discovered parts of clay tablets with some writing on it, on his way to site Ceylon. Some of these tablets contained the story of Gilgamesh. But these were not the original tablets. They were copies of the text commissioned by King Ashurbanipal, who was the fan of the Gilgamesh. The king had preserved the tablets in a library. However, the library burnt down after Ashurbanipal’s empire fell, but the clay tablets remained buried under the ruins.

Work in progress

Although Layard discovered the tablets, no one knew how to read it. It was George Smith who deciphered it first in 1872 while working in the British Museum. Over the years, more tablets were recovered from different sites including the Iraqi city of Mosul. Interestingly, the text continues to grow and evolve with new findings. That’s why “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is still considered to be a work in progress. It may take years before we get to have a complete version of the epic.

 

Picture Credit : Google