| As the name suggests, the Red Fort made out of red sandstone stands on the riverbank of river Yamuna. Built by Shahjahan in 1638 and completed in 1648, the massive fortress was the great product of the Mughal palace architecture which reached its peak during this time. |
| | The outer walls, built during Akbar's time, are divided by two gates, called the Amar Singh and the Delhi gate respectively. Both gates are carved out of red sandstone and consist of a giant facade flanked by twin towers. There is a diagonal entry that was used to baffle the invaders or visitors in several right-angled turns before reaching the gate. |
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The Lal Quila rises above a wide dry moat, in the northeast corner of the original city of Shahjahanabad. Its walls extend upto two kilometre, and vary in height from 18 metres on the river side to 33 metres on the city side.
The Red fort consists of halls of public and private audience, domed and arched marble palaces, lavish private apartments, a mosque, and ornately designed gardens. Entrance is through the main Lahore Gate.The main entrance opens on to the Chatta Chowk or Meena Bazaar, an enclosed street that used to shelter the most skillful jewellers, carpet makers, weavers and goldsmiths of Delhi. Behind it is the Naubat Khana, or the Drum House where the Musicians used to play for the emperor. The Fort also houses the Diwan-i-Amor or the Hall of Public Audiences. The hall is made of marble and had the the Peacock Throne, which was carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739.
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The other attractions enclosed within this monument are the hammams or the Royal Baths, the Moti Masjid, The Rang Mahal or the 'Palace of Colors' housed the Emperor's wives and mistresses.
The visitors seem to retreat in the past when they visit the wondrous complex of the Red Fort.
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Allwondersoftheworld.com describes the largest of old Delhi's monuments, the Red Fort, which have patiently withstood the ravages of time and nature and remains an impressive witness to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739, and by the British soldiers, during the war of independence in 1857.
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