Ghurid dynasty

Right.

The summer capital of the Ghurid dynasty, an empire that stretched from eastern Iran all the way into northern India.

But here is where I get completely stuck.

Oh.

First, regarding the Mongols, minarets like this weren't just used for the Islamic call to prayer, they were often built as towering monuments of victory.

Ah, I see.

Historians believe this one may have commemorated the Ghurid conquest into the Indian subcontinent.

It's possible the Mongols left it standing purely as a trophy, or because its religious significance gave them pause, but surviving the earthquakes, that comes down to brilliant engineering.