India Forts  

Fatehpur Sikri

History

Fathepur Sikri was founded by the Mughar emperor Akbar 40km southwest of Agra. The third Mughar emperor Akbar who started constructing Agra fort in 1565 launched a construction of a new capital, Fathepur Sikri, in 1569. The town forms almost rectanglar, 11km of the periphery, whose northwest side is an impoundment. On the other three sides are city walls. On a plateau extending from the northeast to the southwest within the city walls, an axis of north, south, east and west is set upon which the great mosque and palace buildings are built in diagonal arrangement. The capital was transferred because Akbar, who was not blessed with a child for a long time, became the father of Prince Salim, later on called Jahangir, by a benefit of a saint of Chisti order Shaikh Salim, who lived a village located Fathepur Sikri's sight. In 1571, when Shaikh Salim died, the great mosque was completed and Akbar came to live there for a short period of 10 years from 1574. In 1584, the capital was moved to Lahore, and this city was abandoned. After the conquest of Gujarat in 1574, from which this city name meaning "City of Victory" came, craftsmen and techniques were brought to this capital. Thus, strong mixture with Hindu architectural style is seen in buildings. The private visiting room with center pillar symbolizing the reign, and Panch Magal, five storied open hallbased on Din Ilahi of Akbar is especially well known. (Naoko Fukami)