The world is full of magnificent stories and this website is a testament to some fascinating ones. When I travel I always look for these sort of unexpected finds and am rarely disappointed. This article is about Delhi’s mysterious Iron Pillar.

Background

The Qutb complex in Delhi is a UNESCO world heritage site built by the Delhi Sultanate. This was an Islamic empire that stretched across modern-day India between the 13th and 16th century. The surface area of the complex is huge with many items of artistic and historical importance to see.

It’s easy to miss the significance of the Iron Pillar which stands in the middle of the complex.

This is a tall pillar, almost 7 meters high (22 feet), made of iron. It is one of the earliest parts of the complex as it dates back to around 400 AD. It’s possible the creators used it elsewhere before transplanting it here. That makes it 1 600 years old¹. How come it hasn’t corroded into dust?

Legend

Many assume this implies the “ancients” used “futuristic” technology to make it¹. This must, they claim, be proof of alien contact² or whatever conspiracy theory they favour.

I’ve written about Malta’s cart ruts before. People thought they were evidence of alien encounters too

Facts

The pillar is 98% wrought iron¹. The real secret behind its longevity are a combination of things:

1. A high presence of phosphorus in the iron³. Iron beams in other Indian temples show Indian smiths often worked with phosphorus. This is a corrosive-resistant technique.
2. There is a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen called misawite. Analysis shows the pillar has a fine coating of this compound^{1 3}.

Together these two combined in the right way to protect this pillar from corroding further. From a chemical point of view this is impressive, but it’s a far cry from claiming aliens popped over to share some anti-corrosion techniques over lunch. It’s easy to see why it amazes people especially since it was only in 2002 that someone studied⁴ the pillar to understand what led to its survival.

Conclusion

It is an amazing site to behold when you realise that it should have disappeared by now. Rather than look to friendly neighbourhood aliens or time travellers, the explanation is a little more down to earth. 

References

1. Pillar of Delhi; Atlas Obscura; (Retrieved 2020-02-25) [↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. Chariots of the Gods; Erich von Daniken; 1975[↩]
3. Misawite and Iron Pillar at Delhi; Rodolfo Novakovic; Nuevas Investigaciones; 2006-06-10[↩][↩]
4. Corrosion resistance of Delhi iron pillar; The Hindu; 2002-09-12[↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.