Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri owes its foundation to Emperor Akbar the Great who built it in 1569 and deserted it 14 years later because its water supply failed. The legend relates that Akbar was without a male heir and made a pilgrimage to this spot to see the saint Sheikh Salim Chisti to ask for his blessings for a son, who when born was named Salim and Akbar decided to shift his capital here. Its glorious courtyards and palaces conjure up dreams of the mysterious past.

Fatehpur Sikri is a concrete expression of the towering personality, the ambition and the exquisite taste of the great king. The Jami Mosque was perhaps among the first buildings to come up. Its epigraph gives AH 979 (AD 1571-72) as the date of its completion.

The Buland-Darwaza was added some five years later and this 175-feet entrance gate of Fatehpur Sikri is considered to be the highest gateway in the world. Akbar employed local masons and craftsman and allowed them the freedom to use their traditional skills to create a new style, which has been called "Akbari".