Fatehpur Sikri
Overview:
Built by the Mughul emperor Akbar in 1571, the abandoned capital city
of Fatehpur Sikri is the translation of the emperor's visionary
philosophy into red sandstone. The Mughul capital for fourteen years,
Fatehpur Sikri was built in honor of the famous Sufi saint Salim
Chishti, who predicted the birth of Akbar's first son; Salim Chisthi
was from the nearby village of Sikri. Akbar was later forced to
abandon this capital, possibly because of a lack of water. An example
of a Mughul walled city with defined private, administrative, and
sacred areas, Fatehpur Sikri blends Hindu and Islamic styles in a
manner that embodies Akbar's cultural integration of India's storied
past and its Islamic heritage under the Mughuls. Sadly, after it was
abandoned, many of its treasures were plundered; Fatehpur Sikri was
rescued from obscurity in part to the tireless efforts of Lord Curzon,
who began the process of restoration. Fortunately, its construction in
an arid region has aided greatly in its preservation, making Fatehpur
Sikri perhaps the world's best preserved "ghost town."
Layout:
Fatehpur Sikri is an enormous compound whose outer
gates extend far beyond the portion that has been preserved and
restored. Three areas comprise the primary viewing sights of Fatehpur
Sikri today: the Royal Complex, which contains both the private
palaces, as well as the administrative offices of Akbar's government,
and the adjoining sacred complex containing the Jami Masjid, and the
tomb of Salim Chishti. The Royal complex (shown in yellow in the
diagram to the left) and the sacred complex (shown in pink in the
diagram to the left) are covered in the virtual tours below
Virtual Tours of Fatehpur Sikri
