The Red Fort (or the Agra Fort) was originally built in 1565 by Shah Jahan's grandfather, Emperor Akbar.
It is called the Red Fort because it was constructed of red sandstone.
Originally it was build as a military fort and its walls form a city within a city
Shah Jahan added white marble areas to the Red Fort, his favorite building material. In his Hall of Private Audiences at one point was the famous "Peacock Throne". This Throne was eight feet long and set all over with diamonds, rubies and other precious gemstones. The throne was taken from Agra by another Mughal Emperor and later apart and lost forever.
Can you imagine what a "Peacock Throne" might look like?
Now most of the Red Fort is used for the Indian military as a fort. Only a small part is open to the public.
Why do you think that the Mughal Emperors built their forts inside of "walled cities"?
From Ms. Chan's Class:
ReplyDeleteWe think that the emperors built a walled fort inside of a walled city because it would give extra security. It would be harder to get into the fort that way. When a different army attacked India, the extra wall could protect the fort , the emperor and the important people, and the precious gems inside.
Many countries have built walled cities and even walls along their borders. Sometimes these walls are to keep out invaders, other times they are to keep immigrants out (or people in) a country. Can you think of some countries that have (or had) walls?
ReplyDelete