The site

The red-sandstone capital that emperor Akbar began building in 1571 as a new seat of the Mughal court, and abandoned barely a generation later — most likely for want of water. Palaces, audience halls, the vast Jama Masjid and the triumphal Buland Darwaza gate survive almost intact, blending Hindu and Islamic forms in Akbar's spirit of religious synthesis. Its emptiness makes it one of the best-preserved Mughal ensembles, frozen as on the day the court departed.

Field notes

civilizations

Mughal

types

City · Palace

built

1,571 CE — 1,585 CE

occupied

1,571 CE — 1,610 CE

country

India

elevation

213 m above sea level