Fatehpur Sikri
Agra District, Uttar Pradesh, India
After getting up early and fighting enormous crowds to see the Taj, we were already tired by one o’clock. I also thought that nothing would seem impressive after visiting a wonder of the world. However, we rallied with the help of some pizza hut, hired a car, and took the hour drive west to Fatehpur Sikri and were very pleased that we did. Fatehpur Sikri is a hilltop walled city that was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1571 and served as the capital of the Mughal Empire for 14 years.
In case you are wondering, most of the major monuments, including the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in Agra as well as the Red Fort and Jami Masjid in Old Delhi were all constructed by the Mughal Emperors (usually called Mogul Emperors in America), who ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent from 1526 until their decline from power in the early 1700’s, although they were officially ousted in 1858 by the British Raj.
List of the reigns of the prominent Mughal Emperors and the projects created under their control:
1526–1530 Babur
1530–1539, 1555–1556 Humayun (Humayun’s Tomb)
1556–1605 Akbar (Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort)
1605–1627 Jahangir
1628–1658 Shah Jahan (Red Fort, Jami Masjid, Taj Mahal)
1658–1707 Aurangzeb
Emperor Akbar reigned here before moving control to Agra Fort. If you ever go to Agra, try to go to Fatehpur Sikri as well. Here are some glimpses of palatial quarters in the 1570’s.
